Colors: Black and Red
by Black Die
Summary: "Chazz could never hate the color red. If he did, it would mean he hated his twin, and he could never hate Sora. Even in Slifer, his brother could break hearts, but there was one person he didn't want to fall under Sora's spell…" ChazzxJaden, BastionxOC.
1. E1: The Next King of Games

Black and Red

Note: This story has a sister in **Gold and Silver**. The two offer looks into different pairings (Rivalshipping and Bastion vs Idolshipping and Aster) through rival perspectives. Some parts of this is actual dialogue from the dub, others entirely my own brainchild, and a handful a mix of the two. Updates will be rather slow as a result (it will be both canon and twice as unwieldy) and chapter varying in length (each one will roughly correspond with a single episode of the show). I will be going through the first two seasons of the show with these (up to the end of the Society of Light, which is roughly episode 104), so bear with me til then! One might notice that the two stories have similarly titled chapters, which occurs because one is the literal translation of the Japanese episode name and the other is the given English episode name for the dub. In the second season, entire episodes seem to be lacking either the Duel Academy crew or Hell Kaiser, in which case one of the following may occur: I may put up a filler chapter meant to take place in the void or I may not put up a companion piece at all and let the storyline lie as is. In either case, the chapter names will _not _follow the pattern and will be adjusted as such.

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><p>Some of the dialogue from this chapter was borrowed from the story <span>Chazz it up? Yeah, I Don't Think So<span> by **NightcrawlerXalpha**. I attempted to fix any and all inconsistencies from the actual dub caused by the fact that it was both A) a fanfiction and B) also involved another character inserted into the scene, but I doubt I managed to find everything. I PROMISE I DIDN'T TAKE IT TO BE UNORIGINAL, I DID IT BECAUSE IT'S A PAIN IN THE ASS TO TRANSCRIBE YOURSELF!

This is the title of the English-dub for Episode 1. Its Japanese version translates to "The One Who Succeeds Yugi".

And no, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, otherwise it would be full of FAR more gay characters than it already is... They just wouldn't be closet gays.

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><p>Chapter One: The Next King of Games<p>

"So let's duel!"

Sora had wandered away from where Chazz was sitting, deciding he'd rather try to see whom he could sit with instead. Whenever his twin's cronies opened their mouths, he felt the urge to kill something, which was why he was wandering around with half an ear on the duel and his eyes searching for a new place to sit.

"Sweet! I'm gonna summon Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode! I'll also throw down a facedown. All right, get your game on!" That must have been the newcomer, Sora believed his name was Jaden Yuki.

"Yes, very good. All right, for this first move I think I'll start nice and easy. I choose to play the spell card Confiscation." That was the proctor, Doctor Crowler was it?

"Okay, so what's it do?"

"What it does is allow me to pay 1000 life points for a chance to peek at your hand and toss one of your cards into the graveyard!" There was a momentary pause as the holographics activated and projected Jaden's hand, of which Sora could only see the backs. "Oh yes, I remember some of these from back when I was a naive rookie. Now which one shall I banish?" A short pause followed the statement, but Sora kept his attention on locating a seat. "Monster Reborn to the graveyard." He saw a pair of boys, both of whom he recognized as kids who had won their duels. Since he saw no one he'd rather sit with, he decided to try talking to those two boys. "Next I'll lay two cards facedown on the field, and last but not least, I'll play Heavy Storm. This spell card destroys every other spell and trap card that's out on the field."

"Hi there," he murmured, getting the attention of the blue-haired boy and the black-haired teen. "I'm Sora Samatoko."

"Bastion Misawa," the ravenet replied confidently with a charming hint of a British accent to his words.

"Syrus Truesdale," the bluenet murmured shyly.

"Whoopsie, did you forget that you had two trap cards on the field yourself?" Jaden asked.

"Now, now you mustn't speak out of turn young scholar," Crowler scolded.

A mist came over the field then, but Sora ignored it and the duelists as he asked "May I sit here? My seat was taken by someone while I was doing something else." Not exactly a lie, he had been saving Chazz's seat as his twin dueled when his own had been taken by the morons the elder twin called friends.

"Of course," Bastion said, patting the seat beside him.

"Uh, could someone tell me what's going on?" Syrus asked, completely confused by the mist.

"The two trap cards Doctor Crowler had on the field were called Statue of the Wicked. It's a special trap that creates a vicious token monster when destroyed," Bastion explained.

"Oh," Syrus replied, now understanding. "I didn't think they used those kinds of cards in the test decks."

"They don't," Sora pronounced. "I would know, I've dueled people who have them in their personal decks. It's too powerful for a test deck, so I'd imagine the man's using his personal deck."

"I heard he has a legendary rare card in his deck," The Brit added, an eager gleam in his eye.

"Mmm, I hope we don't see it, for Jaden's sake," Sora said, throwing his arms over the back of his seat and leaning back, his feet pressing against the very bottom of the chair in front of him.

"Ready for your next lesson?" Crowler asked mockingly.

"Haha you bet!" Jaden cried out, eager at the prospect of having a good opponent for once. "I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun!" Even though Sora wasn't as much of a fan of dueling, he still couldn't hold back a smile at the enthusiasm.

However, Crowler was far less supportive of the brunet. "Hm yes, well, I'm quite an excellent teacher, thank you. And now, I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens and summon Ancient Gear Golem!" As a mechanical monster appeared on the field, loud gasps were heard throughout the arena from the audience.

"There it is," Syrus whimpered in amazement.

"Meh, not nearly as impressive as my Silent Swordsman," Sora muttered, rather unimpressed. He'd both seen and dueled worse. Luckily for him though, his comment went unheard by everyone.

"Now, now, I hope you're not too afraid of my Ancient Gear Golem," Crowler taunted, but the brunet merely laughed.

"No way! I've always wanted to take one on!"

"Either Jaden's brave or he's nuts!" Syrus exclaimed in shock.

"Meh, like I said, not all that tough once you know how to take it on," Sora said, leaning back as Crowler burst into his own laughter.

"Hahaha! Golem, attack, Mechanize Melee!" The punch the machine gave the kneeling Avian was enough to shatter him to pieces.

Syrus drooped. "Aw, Jaden's monster didn't stand a chance! His defense points were way too low." He shook his head slowly and whined, "This isn't looking good."

"And it's about to look a lot worse," Bastion added. "When that Ancient Gear Golem destroys a monster in defense mode, the difference between its attack points and the defending monster's defense points gets dealt to the opponent as damage."

"That would mean Jaden's life points take a hit!" Syrus cried out, eyes wide.

Sora's eyes were focused on a shaking brunet, vaguely hearing the words the boy's opponent was saying. "Hahah, don't feel bad, this is the top dueling school in the country. Some people aren't cut out for-"

"Well I really wanna come to this school now!" Jaden exclaimed in excitement, raising his head to reveal he'd been laughing. "You really know your stuff, teach!"

Sora let out a peal of laughter, gaining looks from across the room. "Oh this is going to be _good_!" he proclaimed, smiling broadly.

"Okay, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode and I'll place one card facedown. Not bad huh, teach?" Jaden asked rhetorically.

The man answered anyway, chortling. "No, not bad, but you must understand I'm a master technician. Kuriboh, to me, is rather pedestrian, even one with wings. Its defense points are no match for my Ancient Gear Golem. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad."

"Moron," Sora hissed under his breath, only to let out a growl as some idiot sat up in front of him, blocking his view. "Hey!" he protested.

"Now let's proceed," Crowler continued. "With the legendary Ancient Gear Golem, attack that Kuriboh with Mechanized Melee!" The sounds of whirring machinery were interspersed with shattering monster, followed by a haughty "Humph, check your gear. Your Life Points haven't changed."

"My gear's fine. On the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take zero damage."

Murmuring broke out, along with Sora's grumble of "It would've been nice to _see_ that."

"Here," Bastion sighed, making a move to get up, "You can have my seat."

Sora shook his head, instead moving over to settle himself on the other male's lap. "No thanks, I can't see on my own," he said, leaning back into a warm chest and fixing his eyes on the match once more.

"Fine, fine, I guess your lame little monster saved you there."

"Hey slow down there teach!" Jaden said hotly "You may have beat him but that doesn't give you the right to call him lame!"

The response? A jeered "Oh yes, I forget how attached you new duelists get to your monsters, I'm sorry."

Jaden just replied "Yeah well you should be, because by attacking my Winged Kuriboh you set off a trap card, one of my favorites too, Hero Signal! And that brings out my second Elemental Hero, Burstinatrix." The monster flipped out onto the field as the brunet drew a card. "My turn. All right, Winged Kuriboh, this next one's gonna be for you. Here goes nothing. First of all I'm gonna bring back Avian to my hand with the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive. And now I'm gonna summon him to the field!" Both humanoids showed up on the field in time for Sora to avert his face.

Sora could see where the duel was going already. From what he'd seen, Jaden wouldn't have summoned the monsters needlessly, which meant he had something planned. From what he'd learned about E-Heros, he guessed the other was about to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, followed up by Skyscraper or maybe some other kind of equip spell. Still, confident in the ending, he got up and said, "Hey guys, give Jaden my congratulations, would you? I have somewhere to be."

"Aren't you going to finish the duel?" Bastion asked curiously, feeling a little cold now that the other male had gotten up, but by the time he'd turned around, the boy had gone. "Huh… odd."

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><p>"Slifer slackers!" a boy yelled after the two retreating figures who had just run past him and clipped his shoulder, his silver eyes flashing in annoyance as he strutted through the stadium hallways, his blue Obelisk jacket already assuring his position in the prominent rank. The dark coloring of the jacket emphasized his pale skin, but that was all right with him, he knew it made him and his black hair look all the better for it, far better than it would have if he had started in Slifer red like the majority of students. And yet, for all his talk, Chazz Princeton could never hate the color red. If he did, it would mean he hated his twin, and he could never hate Sora. Even in Slifer, his brother could still break hearts with nothing more than a pleading look of his soulful silver eyes through his long mess of fiery red hair, but there was one person he didn't want to fall under Sora's spell.<p>

Still, Sora was a Princeton, so he wouldn't ask too much of his twin, even though the two were far closer to each other than they were to either of the two elder siblings. If Chazz had to guess why his twin had been pushed so far away from his brothers, he would say it was because Sora's appearance was very much like their mother, what with his long red hair, slender body, and silver eyes—even though Chazz and Sora had the same eyes and silhouette, the former had their father's dark hair and thus escaped the same targeting.

He looked up from his musings at the sound of a door opening, managing to see Sora coming out and sliding his deck away into its pocket. "What rank did you get?" he asked brusquely, his arms unfolding from over his chest as he fell in step beside the other. The two of them knew perfectly well that Sora belonged in Obelisk Blue, the Princeton name and his own dueling ability were enough to reassure that, but the younger had insisted upon actually determining the rank through a test duel. Since it would have been disgraceful for him to do badly in the duel or to gain a poor ranking, Slade and Jagger had insisted upon a private test session, which had, by definition, prevented Chazz from watching his brother even though the twins knew each other's decks just as well as their own personal ones.

"I accepted a position in Ra Yellow," the redhead stated absently, the sounds of his chain belt clinking slightly with every step he took, his black combat boots surprisingly silent on the floor.

"Ra Yellow," Chazz echoed, but before he could make any further comments, Sora continued.

"Yeah, I held back. I didn't really want to start out so high, not when I'd no doubt be forced to duel right off." He shoved his hands into the pants pockets of his black-and-white camouflage cargo pants.

"You're crazy!" the elder twin growled, grabbing the collar of the close-fitting black tee-shirt that was an endorsement of a band the pair had seen in concert (Chazz and Sora had similar tastes in music for the most part). "Why the fucking hell wouldn't you want to be in Obelisk Blue, Sora?"

He didn't fight back against his brother, though his hands did fly to clasp overtop Chazz's in an instinctive response to ensure he wasn't dropped. "You know I'm not as fond of dueling as you are, Chazz! Being the best doesn't mean anything to me if I have to sell myself to get there!"

Chazz's eyes widened as he let go of his younger sibling. Knowing he had struck a nerve, Sora offered a quiet "Sorry" before he strode off, clambering into the limousine Slade and Jagger had insisted upon getting the pair and pulling out a pair of headphones. He turned on the music and settled back to the sounds of "Riot" by Three Days Grace for the long car ride back to the Princeton family estate. Somehow, he doubted he'd have any trouble convinced Slade and Jagger to enroll him into Duel Academy under the fake surname 'Samatoko'…

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><p>Bastion: Why didn't anything romantic happen?<p>

Chazz: Don't tell her! *attempts to murder him*

Oh, I knew there wasn't any romance. Jay's duel ended up taking too much space, so... yeah. The most romance was found in Sora sitting in Bastion's lap and a hint to who Chazz likes (as if we haven't already guessed).

Chazz: *blushing* SHUT UP YOU!

Jaden: *is sleeping* ... Get game on Chazz...

Bastion: Oh, it's probably just about dueling.

... Wanna know what Jaden's dreaming about? REVIEW THE STORY AND I'LL TELL YOU NEXT CHAPTER! *smiles* The more reviews I get, the better the dream is!

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><p>Last edited: 925/2011


	2. E2: Flame Wingman

Black and Red

Hello again and welcome to another chapter of Black and Red! This episode follows a lot of things at once right now, but trust me, it'll calm down after a little while. Yeah. I hope so anyway...

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><p>This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 1. The English-dub instead uses "Welcome to Duel Academy".<p>

Dialogue from this chapter comes from Hidden Eyes Telling Lies by **Queen of Briannia**. Once again, I took it out of a desire to avoid transcribing for as long as possible, not because I have a desire to steal someone's idea.

And, last but not least, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, Chazz would have been the main character, not Jaden.

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><p>Chapter Two: Flame Wingman<p>

Sora knew Chazz was mad at him, could see it in the set of those slender shoulders underneath that blue blazer. That was why he instead approached the pair of Slifer students leaning against a rock, only one of whom he had formally met. "Hello again," he greeted, giving the small boy a gentle smile. "I'm guessing you two are in Slifer red."

"Yeah!" the brunet boy chirped, a smile on his face. "Hey, you in red too?" he asked, but a voice from behind him managed to answer the question before the redhead could.

"Well now, let's see here: yellow sleeves, yellow buttons, I don't think so," a British accent said sarcastically.

"Oh I get it! So that's why Sy and I are in red," he muttered, looking down at his jacket.

"Please don't tell me that you just figured that out now?" The black-haired boy muttered.

"So what? Ever think I'm colorblind?" Jaden retorted with a twisted look on his face.

"Well no, actually, I didn't, are you colorblind?" Bastion responded in an honest manner.

"From what I've heard, I'd say it's likely," Sora quipped with a smile.

"No, but I could've been," Jaden replied with a laugh. "And who are you?"

"Sora Samatoko." Seeing Bastion starting to walk off, Sora decided to follow him, hands in the pocket of his pale yellow jacket open over another white-and-black concert shirt.

"See you at the dorms," Jaden called after them.

"I doubt that, your dorm is over there." Here Bastion turned, pointing over his shoulder and nearly knocking Sora in the head with his arm. "Sorry."

He chuckled. "No worries, you didn't hit me." Suddenly, the redhead remembered something he'd forgotten to say. "Anyway, nice duel Jaden! It was really cool to watch!"

The brunet grinned back. "You kidding? I can't wait to see your deck! We gotta duel sometime!"

Sora nodded, his lips falling. "Sure thing," he replied, causing Bastion to look at him oddly. If the boy didn't want to duel so badly, why had he enrolled at a dueling school rather than a normal high school?

"You all right?" he asked cordially, but Sora remained firmly tight-lipped.

Or at least, until he was certain the two of them were out of Jaden's earshot. "I just don't like dueling so much," he answered. "I only came here because my family wanted me to." He chuckled wryly. "They were _so _pissed to learn I got Ra Yellow rather than Obelisk Blue, but there wasn't anything they could do about it, especially since I almost lost my practical exam."

Bastion frowned at that. "Ra's better than Slifer, shouldn't they be happy that you managed to get into the middle of the road?"

"Not when I already have a brother who's in Obelisk Blue."

"Still, they should be proud of you for who you are," the Brit grumbled, holding the door for his companion as they strode into the dorms.

Sora shrugged. "My family's ambitious, what can I say?" He pulled his jacket around him as they walked underneath an overhead fan, but he wasn't quick enough to entirely hide the pink line of healing skin on his wrist. Bastion's brow furrowed at the knowledge that the other boy cut himself but refrained from commenting, judging that the conversation wouldn't be welcomed by the way Sora hurriedly yanked his sleeve back up. He stopped before door 13, pulling a key out of his pocket and stepping inside. "Well, this is my room. I'll see you around, Bastion."

The mathematician blinked, surprised that Sora had remembered his name. He found himself… fond of the other male. Sora had defied expectations… and that was not good. He frowned, figuring the boy's deck was likely the same way. "I must find out how he duels," he muttered to himself, "otherwise my formulas may prove useless." He got to his room, the walls already half-covered in black marker, and decided to allot the entire space above his headboard to this new conundrum. Uncapping a new color, he unconsciously chose red when he wrote the word _Sora Samatoko_ in block letters up by the ceiling, the letters bleeding slightly from the pressure. Somehow, he thought it appropriate. A bleeding name for a bleeding soul.

Next, he had to figure out what he wanted to write underneath. The first step towards beating someone was to determine the cards of their decks, so Bastion hurriedly ran through his memory, searching for clues and finding none. He couldn't even recall a single card in the redhead's deck from the practical exam! Then a single comment came to mind, one that had him pausing, one he hadn't even realized he'd heard during Jaden's duel. _"Meh, not nearly as impressive as my Silent Swordsman."_

His pen squeaked protestingly as he wrote the name on the wall, then paused. There were three Silent Swordsman cards—a level 3, a level 5, and a level 7—and Sora hadn't specified which ones were in his deck, which meant he had to use logic to get there. Sora had implied that his Swordsman could defeat the Ancient Gear Golem, which meant that he likely used Silent Swordsman Level 7, but that card couldn't be summoned other than by the effect of Silent Swordsman Level 5, and even then it was still 200 attack points below the Golem, which meant he'd augment it in some way. Since Swordsman's ability prevented spells from being of any use, the boy had to use an effect monster or a trap to benefit his card. For some reason, the card Command Knight came to mind, and he realized that it fit with what he knew of Sora. The other Ra seemed like the type to prefer a card that would benefit his entire deck instead of a single monster, and it was with that in mind that he wrote, above the three monster cards, 'Warrior Deck'.

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><p>"I'm sorry, Sora," Chazz apologized to the Ra, who had come to talk to him. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I mean, everyone draws a bad hand every once in a while, right? That doesn't mean you'll stay in Ra Yellow for long!"<p>

Sora smiled and rolled his eyes, figuring it was better than actually correcting his twin on the matter. "So has anyone here caught your eye yet?" he asked, honestly curious. He knew Chazz liked guys, just as he himself did, and the pair would often go to the mall at home to 'guy watch' even if it was Sora who would be the most obvious about it and Chazz would grumpily sit on a bench and firmly ignore the antics of his twin. Of course, Slade and Jagger didn't know, mainly because the elder Princetons were homophobes, so they had to pretend they liked girls.

"Well, there is this one…" he admitted, blushing slightly. "And if he really is up to par, I _might _ask him out." Sora rolled his eyes, the ravenet had never dated because he had this ridiculous notion that he had to be equally matched against his boyfriend.

"Chazz! That applicant who beat Doctor Crowler is here, check it out!" one of the two lackeys yelled up at them, causing Sora to stiffen. Chazz strode forward a few steps, straightening his posture and subtly nodding at Sora to sidle away. They would continue their conversation later.

To Sora's surprise, it was Jaden and Syrus who had come, and he somehow completely missed Sora. "Oh hey what's up? My name's Jaden." The brunet waved, then turned to the two minions. "And he's Chazz was it?"

Chazz stiffened, though part of it was to provide a distraction for his brother to sneak away. He didn't want anyone to know he was related to a Ra. "His name's Chazz Princeton and he was the number one duelist back at Duel Prep school, so you make sure and pay the proper respects, got it?" the blue-haired crony snapped, hands on his hips.

"Yeah, he's gonna be the future King of Games, the best duelist in the world!" the other continued, standing right in Jaden's face.

"Impossible," Jaden grouched, crossing his arms.

"Say what?"

Sora snickered at the face on the guy. _Priceless. Thank you Jaden._

"You see, it's impossible for him to be the future King of Games because that's exactly what I'm gonna be."

Sora rolled his eyes at Jaden's bold words and the oohs of the morons before they burst out laughing. "A Slifer slacker is the next King of Games? That'll be the day!"

"Can it you two!" Chazz growled, once again redirecting attention and allowing Sora a chance to sneak around to the tunnel. "Maybe the new kid's right."

"Uh, what do you mean there, Chazz?"

Sora snorted, which caused Syrus to give him a weird look, though the little Slifer didn't say anything when he held his hand up in the universal 'shh' gesture. _If there was a prize for stupidity, these two would have it in the bag._

"He did beat Crowler, after all, and that legendary rare monster of his. I suppose it takes some skill to pull that off."

"Got that right," Jaden said, and the temptation Sora had to push the brunet over was great. Sure, it would have completely ruined the moment with its hilarity, but he restrained himself, curious as to what Chazz would say next. If his suspicions were right, this was the one who had caught his brother's eye, and he had to say that he approved.

"Or was it luck? I say we find out now." The ravenet smirked, finding it returned by the Slifer, and Sora shivered as he retreated. There was no doubt about it. Chazz liked Jaden, and from what he'd seen, his brother did not want to be interrupted. Oh well. At least the welcome dinner was there to look forward to.

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><p>Sora growled when his PDA went off in the middle of the night, fumbling around his empty room (he knew he <em>had <em>a roommate, judging by all the card lists taped over half the walls) for the damn thing and dropping a few choice curses when he saw the name. "Why the fuck are you calling me this late, Chazz?" he spat, giving his twin the best glare he could while looking like he'd rather fall over and sleep.

The ravenet smirked. "I dueled Jaden tonight," he said, silver eyes gleaming. "We were interrupted before we reached the conclusion, but it was obvious how it would have ended."

_Dammit, I was rather hoping he'd found someone to open up to instead of me._ He hid his disappointment behind another growl. "And you woke me up at the asscrack of the night to tell me this because?"

"… Um…" Chazz had lived with Sora long enough to know when the redhead was angry enough to attempt murder. "Gotta go!" he cried, hastily shutting the PDA off. So long as Sora didn't have eye contact with him, he was safe.

True to form, the PDA found its way into the nearest wall by the time Sora curled up under the blankets again, fast asleep in a matter of moments. He'd deal with it, and Chazz, in the morning.

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><p>Chazz: Oh god why did you write this up so fast?<p>

Bastion: And put it up too?

I was home sick.

Jaden: ... You haven't been coughing all day... You've been fine, actually.

... Trust me Jaden, you don't wanna know what my problem is.

Jaden: Okay!

Bastion: If you would like her to actually do something PRODUCTIVE, don't review.

Chazz: Yeah, she'll leave us alone and torture some poor other saps instead!

... HEY! IT'S NOT TORTURE! *attempts to murder Chazz*

Bastion: You know, I'm beginning to see why she's a Chazz fangirl...

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><p>Last edited: 925/2011


	3. E3: A Duel in Love

Black and Red

Remember, this story has a counterpart in **Gold and Silver** too! I mean, if you want to get the whole storyline, it's best to read them both, even if the plot lines aren't connecting quite yet!

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><p>Today's transcribing comes courtesy of the story <span>Starting Anew<span> by **ani-sand**.

This is the title of the English-dub for Episode 3. Its Japanese version translates to "Etoile Cyber".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or anything else for that matter, just Sora. If I had, Fonda Fountain and Alexis Rhodes would be dead. Or have better voice actors that didn't make me want to throw something at the nearest wall. Yeah. One of the two.

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><p>Chapter Three: A Duel in Love<p>

Sora's first action upon waking up in the morning was to scream, throwing the vibrating cell phone from where it sat on his bedside table into the wall, where it collided with a dull thud and then fell to the bed that was still neatly pressed as if it had never been slept it—in all likelihood, it hadn't been. Realizing he wasn't being attacked by killer bees, the redhead blushed, getting up out of bed to show that, not only was he in only a pair of black boxers, he wore a series of red-stained white bandages around his arms with an air that spoke of familiarity and acceptance of them. The white was wrapped heavily over his biceps and the closet part to his elbow, only a few appearing lower down, where they were more likely to be revealed by an errant movement. The red on the bandages, however, varied wildly, some possessing none, a handful with a bright crimson, but the majority in some degree of a fading mahogany. Running a hand through his hair and grimacing as he determined it not silky enough for his tastes, he padded over to the bathroom, running himself a steaming sink full of water into which he carefully added his bandages, turning the water pink enough to warrant draining the entire contents of the small white basin and refilling it again with fresh water to soak out the blood.

Leaving the white cloth to sit, he turned his attention to the shower, retreating back into his room to retrieve his bathing things and returning a moment later with some shampoo and conditioner. The water scalded his skin a bright pink, the scars remaining a white while the healing wounds turned an angry red, but he paid them no mind, finishing up his cleaning even though the soap caused him to wince slightly and even reopened a few of the more tender wounds. After running his hands through his now-chocolate hair and finding no snarls to impede his pale fingers, he snapped off the water, drying himself off with a fluffy yellow towel that hung on a rack by the curtain and then stepping onto the golden mat, his toes curling into the plush sensation. Still, he forced himself to step onto the slippery, cold tile floor as he plucked a razor blade up from the counter where he'd placed it last night. After gazing at his arms for a long moment contemplatively, he pricked along the edge of an ivory scar and followed the track, drawing a line of beading red across his flesh. Nodding to himself at the sharp, focusing sensation of stinging pain, he began the monotonous task of extracting each strip of gauze from the water and reapplying it to his wounds, hiding them from the world and the irritating rub of his yellow uniform jacket. Chazz knew he cut, but not even his twin knew how often—which was almost every day—or even of the scars dotting his biceps, and he intended to keep it that way. The elder Princeton twin didn't need to worry about Sora too, not when he had a handle on his behavior. He cut because he wanted to, not because he wanted the high of endorphins or because he wanted the control it brought. It was nothing but a habit at this point, an offering he made to his deck to ensure that he could draw the cards he needed when he needed them, an empty movement he did because it let him _live_.

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><p>Bastion settled down at the elegant table to see Sora picking at some fruit salad, pushing around some melon with his fork and only occasionally putting a strawberry in his mouth. Picking up his plate of toast and marmalade, he moved down to where the other was sitting, offering a polite "Is this seat taken?" more for manner's sake than anything.<p>

Sora looked up at him tiredly, his silver eyes seeming ancient even if he was devoid of the dark circles that generally signaled a sleeping problem. "Not in the least," he replied, slyly moving his PDA out of Bastion's line of sight. He had been talking to Chazz, asking him if he'd felt something strange around Jaden when he dueled or even the strange charged aura in the air, but his brother had yet to reply before Bastion had interrupted him.

Of course, the mathematician noticed the movement, but he chose not to comment on it, figuring it wasn't his place. "So what are you doing, Sora?" he asked, giving the other a chance to give an excuse for his actions.

"Looking around for a few more cards for my deck," he answered mechanically, forcefully stabbing a poor watermelon piece before making a face and sliding it off using the side of his plate. "I mean, sure it got me this far, but I could use a new addition or two. It's always good to change things up a little every now and again, especially since I'm going to have to duel a lot here."

It was those words that had Bastion realizing something. "You don't trust your deck all that much, do you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why should I?" Sora spat in response, something that seemed a little too emotionally-filled to be the redhead's normal behavior as far as Bastion had seen of him, "They're just _cards, _it's not like they'll be there for me when I need them!"

The ravenet frowned. "Surely you've built your deck around _one _card at least?" he asked. Most duelists had a deck theme, not just to look cute but also to increase the amount of cards one could utilize in a deck, and if Sora came from such a great dueling family, he would know this.

The redhead looked down, reaching into one of the side pockets of his cargo pants and pulling out a certain monster card with a fond smile on his face. "Yeah," he murmured, turning the card to the side to reveal what it was. "Command Knight."

Bastion had to admit, the crimson-cloaked warrior fit Sora nicely, though he was surprised to see how quickly the other was to replace the card where it had come from and then turn his attention back to stabbing his food. The ravenet left him to it, instead turning his mind to nibbling on his toast.

A glance out of the corner of a single silver eye revealed to him a message. _Sora, you're crazy, Jaden Yuki might be a great duelist, but he's no more special than you or I, and as for the school, of course it's full of great duelists, what do you expect from a school for dueling?_

* * *

><p>Chazz glared down at his little twin brother, somehow unsurprised to see him already playing games on his PDA (how he'd managed to download that damnable empire game he loved so much, Chazz had no idea) but irked about it nonetheless. Dueling theory was something his slacker sibling should be able to listen to and learn from, but instead he was acting like he was already head boy of the Obelisk dorm (which was a position he himself intended to hold, but the point of the idea was still there)! A shrill voice interrupted his thoughts then, redirecting his attention.<p>

"Duel monster cards can be grouped into Normal monster cards, Fusion monster cards, Ritual monster cards, Effect monster cards, Trap cards, and Spell cards. Trap cards can be divided into Normal traps, Counter traps, and Continuous traps. Spell cards can be separated into Normal spells, Continuous Spells, Equip spells, Quick-Play spells, Ritual spells and Field spells."

"Perfect, well done Alexis!" praised the teacher, the same one Jaden had defeated in his practical exam. "Of course I wouldn't expect anything less from one of my blue Obelisks."

"Yes Dr. Crowler," said the girl as she sat down, and Chazz briefly wondered if she might be worthy of deserving his attention the way Jaden wasn't. Sure, he wouldn't have been nearly as happy with a girl as he would a boy, but no one had beaten him yet, so perhaps pursuing girls—like a straight boy did—would be a worthwhile distraction.

"Hm, now who should we question next?" said Crowler as he scanned the class. With the way Bastion was eyeing the other Ra strangely and the complete lack of attention his twin was giving the lesson, Chazz wondered how in the hell his twin hadn't been caught yet. "You, Syrus Truesdale!" he yelled, causing a small blue-haired Slifer boy in the front row to jump to his feet, "Explain to the class what a Field Spell is, please."

"Um…A Field Spell is, uh…" Syrus stuttered as he started to shake from the pressure of answering the question "It's the… the thing that affects the thing… That is, uh…"

"Even pre-duelists know the answer to this, you Slifer Slacker!" shouted an Obelisk boy as everyone around him was laughing. Sora shot him a glare from afar, but turned his attention back to his game with a soft, nearly inaudible cry as he rapidly began to mash buttons in an attempt to save himself. Chazz sneered at that, more in amusement that his twin was about to lose his game than because of anything that had been said.

"No, I know! It's uh…uh…" The boy's blush furiously increased at this. On the other side of the room, Bastion gave another odd look at Sora, still wondering how his insubordination was slipping by Crowler's radar.

"Relax Sy, you totally got this." Jaden turned to reassure his friend and breaking the vicious cycle of embarrassment.

"I think not. Sit down." Poor Syrus obeyed as Crowler turned his attention to someone else. "Now would someone please give me the answer? Preferably someone not wearing red, thank you."

Everyone minus the Slifers, Bastion, and Sora laughed. Chazz let out a chuckle, more to look the part of the condescending Obelisk than anything. Admiring a Slifer's guts and having a twin brother in Ra, which was only a step up from Slifer, meant that he had a respect for the lower ranks, slight as it was.

"I blew it," Syrus moaned from his slumped position. "I've made all the Slifers look bad."

"You know something teach, you really shouldn't go and make fun of us Slifers like that," Jaden said, smirking softly, even if it was more of a gentle smirk than anything Chazz could have hoped to pull off. "I mean, I'm a Slifer and I beat you. So when you make fun of us, you're really making fun of yourself." He scratched his head, smiling and flashing his peace sign in a content manner.

Crowler turned red and began pulling on a handkerchief with his teeth. Seething, he turned his ire on Sora, finally noticing the boy was playing a handheld game. "You insolent twerp!" he yelled, stalking up to the redhead, "Playing a video game in my class, how rude! That's something I would expect from a Slifer slacker, not from a Ra Yellow! Put it away and be thankful I'm only letting you off with a warning!"

"Yeah yeah, just let me finish my level," Sora replied, waving a hand and ignoring the throbbing vein in the teacher's head.

_He really had no idea what he was doing by prodding Crowler in such a manner_, Chazz mused to himself as he watched his younger brother endure a rant that took up about half of class. _Still, I do have to admit he certainly knows how to move a class along._

* * *

><p>Sora looked absolutely miserable as he stood there in his gym clothes alongside all the other students, his hair making him as much of a beacon among the sea of blacks and dark browns as Jaden's orange top did. No doubt when Syrus got there, he too would experience the effect, or maybe not since the boy was so short, but the point was that he knew this class was going to suck as a result. He <em>hated <em>gym with a passion, and because his hair was so bright and seemed to attract attention from all of the teachers, he was likely to get picked on rather quickly in this class too. Even worse, while he had managed to get a position behind Bastion, the other male kept moving about so that it would be impossible to hide a handheld game behind his back and play it on the sly.

Then the teacher walked in. "Hi everyone, my name is Fonda Fountain, and I'll be your gym instructor for this semester! You ready to sweat?" she bubbled in a voice so high-pitched Sora couldn't suppress a groan, or restrain himself from banging his head against Bastion's shoulder several times in the hopes of giving himself brain damage so severe he would pass out for the next semester. Just what he needed, another reason to hate gym class, and what was worse, he didn't have his faithful PDA with him because Crowler had confiscated it for the day.

Bastion gave him an odd look but said nothing, instead patting him reassuringly on the back. "There there," he murmured softly, making sure no one could hear him. "It's only for a semester."

Sora groaned again, leaning his forehead on Bastion's shoulder and leaving it there. "Just kill me now," he complained. "If you ever liked me at all, you'll put me out of my misery."

"Okay, children, today we'll start off with a friendly game of dodgeball!"

Sora perked up impossibly, darting away at that. He was rather fond of dodgeball, if only because he usually won due to being able to dance around the dangerous rubber spheres for longer than anyone else. Sure, he preferred simulations more akin to sneaking around playing war games, but dodgeball worked for him. It was better than any organized sport anyway.

* * *

><p>Jaden: *screams bloody murder as gets hit by lots of dodgeballs* WHY DID YOU DO THAT DIE?<p>

... I figured it'd be funny to have Sora using Bastion to vent.

Bastion: How? How is that funny?

Chazz: It's funny because you suffer.

Bastion: ... Sadist.

Chazz: *attempts to strangle*

Jaden: ... Please review. This is depressing that we have NOTHING for either story...

Listen to Jaden! He's giving you all puppy-dog eyes!

Chazz: *looks over at Jaden and softens* Aw...

Bastion: *escapes*

... HEY, GET BACK HERE, I WANT MY TURN AT STRANGLING YOU! *chases after him*

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><p>Last edited: 925/2011


	4. E4: 5 Polymers! VWXYZ

Black and Red

First of all, before I forget, I'm going to mention that this story now has some concept art for it. If you would like to see Sora's Duel Disk (premiering in this chapter), please go to DeviantArt, my username is YamiBlackDie, and if you want the name of the picture, I have some rough colorings up of the Disk with some finals in the works. Secondly, I would like to commend all of you who reviewed. Good for you. But lastly, I would like to add this: WHY THE HELL DOES NO ONE WANT TO READ OR REVIEW **Gold and Silver**? It's a perfectly good story, and it's the same basic plotline... *sighs* Oh well, at least I got a little insurance today... *evil smile*

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><p>This chapter has no dialogue stolen from anyone else's fic, just the show. Instead, I included a duel of my own, which had entirely legitimate cards and abilities in it, and for the record, Cho is a duelist who styled his deck after both Weevil Underwood and Espa Rova from the original Yu-Gi-Oh!.<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 4. The English-dub instead uses "Raring to Go".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, otherwise Jaden and Chazz wouldn't have been rivals. They'd have been closer to what they are in my story...

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><p>Chapter 4: 5 Polymers! VWXYZ<p>

Sora looked up from his PDA empire, glaring daggers at his twin as the ravenet spun a pair of headphones around his finger, the soft foam having been attached to the redhead's ears until rather recently. "What the hell was that for?" he grumbled, exiting the game with a flick of his fingers, having declined to save. He hadn't accomplished anything in the ten or fifteen minutes since he'd handed in his exam anyway, so why bother?

"Didn't you hear?" Chazz hissed. "Some new rare cards came in today, but _you_ missed your chance to get any."

"And you found it necessary to rip my headphones off because?" the Ra stressed dangerously, but the Obelisk was already retreating while he still had all his limbs intact and fully-functioning—Sora had broken Jagger's wrist before, an accident cause by a push into a coffee table when the elder had attempted to confiscate the younger's iPod. Pulling one earphone back on, he walked over to the other three inhabitants of the room, none other than Bastion, Jaden, and Syrus.

"What, no cards?" the bluenet cried in shock. "Hey, how come no one told us?"

"Technically, they did," Sora pointed out, his fingers moving as he kept time to his song. "You were just asleep when Professor Banner announced it."

"Then why didn't someone wake us up?" Jaden asked.

"Because," Bastion stated, leaning on a desk and ignoring the urge to turn around and look at his fellow Ra, "everyone wants the best cards for themselves to use in the upcoming field test."

"So why aren't you getting some?" Syrus demanded hotly.

"Please," the Brit continued, "one errant card and my deck's delicate balance would be completely thrown off."

"My deck's already _full_ of rare cards, and trust me, they don't play any better than the normal ones," the redhead answered. "Which, speaking of playing cards, I've gotta go, I'm dueling first because of my anxiety issues. Later."

"Mine wouldn't!" Syrus said, figuring mentioning the duel to the other boy would make things worse.

'You'll have to tell me how it turns out then!" Jaden called after him, but he didn't get a response from the male. After a moment, Bastion followed after the other Ra, hypothesizing that he could watch Sora duel so long as he wasn't seen. Besides, he'd already taken and passed his puzzle duel, so he was just a spectator today.

Muttering soft curses under his breath, the youngest Princeton stuffed the cord of his earphones into the right pocket of his pants and wandered off. He would be showcased in the first duel, his chosen opponent a Slifer since his classwork was so atrocious. Of course, no one other than Chazz knew he was intentionally doing poorly, and even then the elder twin merely thought he wanted to blow everyone away today when he really just wanted to keep his rank. Sora aimed for mediocrity, not perfection; he left that pursuit to his siblings.

* * *

><p>Chazz knew it was rude to ignore people, even if they <em>were<em> little more than dogs, but as the morons explained how their stupidity couldn't even make them accurate retrievers, all he could think about was Sora… and that slacker Jaden. Sure, he was certain he could soundly thrash the both of them (now that he thought about it, he was fairly certain he could recall his younger brother refusing to take his usual deck, one the elder twin had constructed himself, which meant _anything_ could be in the endless pockets of those cargo pants), but for some reason, he wanted a rematch, if only so that his more-attractive brother didn't charm the only worthwhile competition here out from under him. Yeah. That was what it was.

"You know what's sorry?" he growled, stopping suddenly and wheeling on his heel. "You guys, that's what, but it doesn't matter 'cuz not one duelist here can beat me no matter what card he has." In his head, Sora rolled his eyes at the statement.

"Unless that duelist happens to be Jaden Yuki."

"Who's there?" He turned his head towards the stairs, a little edgy since he hadn't heard anything back from his brother yet. Sora had to have finished up his duel already… right?

"Someone who suspects you despise Jaden as much as I do," a black-cloaked man replied mysteriously, unaware of the way the Obelisk bit back the words to prevent himself from defending his secret crush.

"That's the sticky-fingers who took the rare cards!" the blue-haired lackey sniveled.

"Cards? What cards? Oh, you mean these cards?" He opened his cloak to reveal a plethora of cards lining the dark fabric.

"Whoa, now that's style."

"Talk about having a card up your sleeve."

The man laughed cruelly. "What's the matter, Chazz, don't recognize me? How about now?" The cloak came off to reveal Doctor Crowler in all his effeminate glory.

"Crowler!"

Chazz resisted the urge to say _No shit, morons_, but instead went with a mocking "You know, you looked better all covered up."

"Yes, well, I have a plan that will make us all look better and make Jaden Yuki look like the cut-rate duelist he truly is. I want you to be his opponent for the field test and to use these rare cards to beat him."

"But we're not in the same dorm, they won't let me be his duel opponent," Chazz protested.

Crowler laughed. "They? I am they. I'll make it happen. And you just make sure that you use all of these rare cards to put Jaden in his place in front of the entire Academy." It looked like Chazz would be getting that rematch after all.

* * *

><p>Sora stepped into the duel ring, his yellow jacket closed over his chest and his stride smooth and even, chin held high. He had, after some consideration, tied his hair back with a stretch of black ribbon—yes, he used ribbon, and yes, he'd hit Chazz (and other boys, but mostly Chazz) before for calling him a girl because he had hair ribbons, but when he dueled, it was hard <em>not <em>to tie his hair back—and the contrast went well with his coloring. He ignored the announcement of his opponent, a boy whose name was Cho, in order to send his silver eyes out over the audience, curious as to which of the precious few would get to watch him duel. He saw a pair of boys sitting together, a blond-haired Ra with a golden jacket who was working on some kind of stretch of metal that sat on his hand outlining his very bones and a teal-haired Obelisk who would watch his companion with soft pale blue eyes and occasionally offer a hand to steady the contraption whenever the slender metal would move in protest of his companion's movements, but other than that, the arena was deserted. Good. No one would need to see what he had in his deck.

Nodding to himself, he shed his jacket, revealing a handsome crimson sash with black spaces and a topaz inset across the chest he'd covered with a close-fitting yellow shirt. Before he tossed the yellow fabric onto a chair, he rummaged around in a pocket until he pulled out what appeared to be half of a black Duel Disk with vermilion highlights and a citrine centerpiece he slid into place on the dark burgundy cuff around his right forearm and then his deck, shuffling it quickly in a movement that was neither showy nor impressive and then slipping it into the slot on the disk. "Are you ready to duel?" he asked the boy with the turquoise hair, ignoring the flash of blood in the corner of his eye.

"No," his opponent answered back mockingly, activating his own Duel Disk, a classic Academy-issued one, "but I _am _ready to defeat you and move into Ra!"

"Very well," the Princeton allowed, catching the five cards that slid out in his left hand and then switching them over to his right, where he spread them, which caused both his wrist and his Disk to turn oddly to the side so that he could see his hand. "I'll play one card facedown in defense mode and end my turn." The swap of the facedown card from his left hand into a slot on his sash was flawless, the result of countless duels against Chazz when they were younger.

Cho smirked at his opening hand. "First off, I activate the card Insect Barrier, which prevents any insect monsters you have from attacking, then I'll place two facedowns and summon Insect Knight (1900) in attack mode. Now, Insect Knight, attack that facedown with Chittering Sword Swipe!"

The card that flipped over was a male angel with large gold wings, but he was instantly destroyed, to Sora's amusement. "Thanks for that," he mocked. "Shining Angel's special ability allows me to Special Summon one Light monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck when the card is sent to the Graveyard, and I choose Silent Swordsman Level 3 (1000)!" After Sora's Disk spat out the card and the duelist, with his left hand, took the card and slammed it onto his chest, the monster flipped onto the field delightedly, looking just as cocky as his wielder. After his deck was shuffled again, he drew a card, his smile widening. "Perfect, since I managed to last to my Standby Phase, I can send my Swordsman to the Graveyard to level him up, so come on out Silent Swordsman Level 5 (2300)!" The boy grew taller before their very eyes as Sora adeptly swapped his card with one taken from his deck, his monster looking much more confident with a hulking broadsword resting on his shoulder.

"Very nice!" Cho complemented, "but I'm going to use this to activate my trap card DNA Surgery! With this card, I can pick whatever type I want our monsters on the field to be, and I choose Insect!" At that statement, the Swordsman sprouted the translucent wings of a fly, but Sora remained unaffected.

"No matter, that won't change a thing," he stated. "So for now, I'll summon Marauding Captain (1200) in attack mode, but he's not going to be on the field alone since his special ability allows me to play one other level four or lower monster this turn, in this case none other than my Command Knight (1200)!" Both soldiers stepped onto the field with swirling cloaks and manifested bug wings, though the latter seemed so much more complementary to his wielder. "But in the meantime, Swordsman, I utilize your ability to ignore my opponent's spells in order to destroy his monster!"

"Not so fast!" Cho cried. "I activate the trap card Gravity Bind, which prevents monsters level four or higher from attacking."

Sora growled at that, then turning his attention to his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Bastion winced as he watched the two arrive at a stalemate, even if it was one that only enabled Cho to summon three of his best monsters Great Moth (2600), Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth (3500), and Insect Queen (2200/ currently 3800), to the field along with a Pinch Hopper as added insurance, while Sora only had his three warriors and two facedowns on the field. No Life Points had been touched yet, but he didn't think that was going to last long, not with the way Cho was smirking.

"I activate the card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Gravity Bind, now my Queen, destroy his Swordsman and take my Pinch Hopper as your sacrifice!"

"I counter with the trap card Kunai with Chain!" Sora yelled. "This card allows me to not only switch your monster to defense mode, but it also allows me to equip it to one of my monsters, in this case my Swordsman, to gain 500 attack points!"

He growled. "No matter, Pinch Hopper's special ability allows me to special summon one Insect-type monster from my hand, so I think I'll choose another Queen, but she won't be attacking you since my Ultimate Moth will instead!"

"Not if my Negate Attack has anything to say about it!" the Ra countered, the card ending the battle phase in a manner Bastion found rather intelligent. "Now, Swordsman, take advantage of his mistake and destroy the first Insect Queen!" The warrior sprung forward, decimating the other monster with his broadsword before falling back, and Bastion couldn't help but note that the other Insect Queen lost 200 attack points. It was an excellent strategy, knocking down its attack points by destroying the monsters that powered it, but even then he thought it rather pointless. "With that out of the way, I'll summon out another Marauding Captain and Command Knight, but otherwise it's your move."

"Fine then," Cho pouted, "I'll merely tribute my Insect Soldier in order to summon out Jinzo, and so that my monsters remain safe, I'll equip it with Amplifier!"

"Not so smart there," Sora called. "You forget, my Swordsman negates _all _of your spells, not just ones that target it. And even better, now that my monsters are back to their Warrior-types, Command Knight's special ability kicks in, giving them all an extra 1000 attack points since I have two on the field, and Marauding Captain prevents any of them from being attacked."

The bug-duelist's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Not only had he dropped his Insect Queen's attack by 600 points (2600), but he'd also just gained four monsters with 2200 attack and one with 3700 attack points. He was royally screwed.

Sora smirked as he drew, silver eyes playful. "And now that I drew this card, you're doomed. I tribute one of my Marauding Captains to summon another Silent Swordsman Level 5. Now, my new Swordsman, attack that Great Moth," the obedience of the monster was shocking, especially since it was the first damage of the game, knocking Cho from 4000 to 3300 Life Points, "and my old friend, you attack his Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, but before you feel any damage from that attack, I activate the card Level Up! on my new Swordsman to summon out my ace, Silent Swordsman Level 7 (2800, currently 3800)!" The new count was 3000, but Sora was clearly nowhere near done, not yet. "I'll sacrifice my Marauding Captain to destroy your Insect Queen, but with Jinzo still on the field, I'll have my Swordsman destroy it with Sweeping Sword Crash!" 1300 Life Points. "Sure, that drops my monsters down a good 1000 attack points by re-activating DNA Surgery, but I don't need it when my Command Knights can wipe you out!"

Bastion's applause was solely for his fellow Ra, the duel, while one-sided, had been rather unexpected, especially since there was many a turn where Sora had refrained from attacking, but it startled the other into a blush as he strode off the duel field. He wasn't the only one clapping, both of the other spectators were showing their appreciation for the great duel, but it was clear that the blush was for the mathematician. Indeed, it was to the Brit that a small smile was offered before he left. Chazz would want to know that he had proven victorious in his duel.

* * *

><p>The duel was over*. Jaden laughed exuberantly while Chazz crouched in a defeated heap. Sora watched his twin with sympathetic eyes from the position where he'd excused himself to, a high perch above the crowd, but he could make no move to offer comfort to the other Princeton, not when the public was so against him. "That's game!" the Slifer cried, "Unless you want to duel again?"<p>

The Obelisk lifted his gaze, unable to believe he'd been bested. "Oh, we will." To his surprise, a firm grip on his elbow hoisted him to his feet after a brief moment, the black combat boots identifying the source as an emotionless Sora.

"That was well-played, Jaden," Chancellor Sheppard announced over the intercom, gaining everyone's attention. "Not in the entire history of our revered Academy has a Slifer ever dueled an Obelisk during these exams. Jaden, not only did you hold your own, but you won! Your courage against overwhelming odds is inspiring. It is with great pride that I grant you promotion to Ra Yellow! Good job."

"Are you okay?" Sora whispered, trying to put aside the pain in his chest as he heard Bastion congratulate the brunet.

The Obelisk looked at the picture of the victorious Jaden for a long moment before turning away, jerking his arm free. "I'm fine."

* * *

><p>First off, the asterisk there was to tell you that the duel itself doesn't have space here and instead takes place in <strong>Gold and Silver<strong>, which is told through the point of view of Kieran Salem and Zane Truesdale.

Chazz: It's my duel with the slacker, it should be told in my perspective!

... Nah, Sora's duel took up too much space, and besides, I rather like the romantic hints I added in.

Bastion: ... B*tch.

Jaden: Wow, Bastion, I didn't know you had a censor... I wish Chazz had one.

Chazz: Hey, screw you Jaden! ...Wait, that's my job.

*falls over laughing*

Bastion: *fighting back chuckles* Please review. If you do, we'll give you a plushee Jaden... or a plushee Chazz, whichever you'd prefer.

Jaden: Why not add you in there too Bastion?

Bastion: Because Die's too possessive of hers, that's why. *looks over to see her curled protectively around Bastion plushee*

Chazz: *shakes head* Nerds of a feather flock together.

Jaden: Well anyway, Die's going to be working on editing out some of the content, grammar, and spelling mistakes in the very near future, so be prepared if the going's a tad slower! She's not doing it on purpose, this sort of thing just bugs her.

Chazz: Anyway, good night and good riddance.

Bastion: *hits him* Be nice to the readers Chazz!

Chazz: *grumbles something vaguely like an apology as he rubs his head*

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><p>Last edited: 925/2011


	5. E5&6: Of Dreams and Nightmares

Black and Red

Here I come to the dreaded M! Thank you horny Chazz! (Actually, I just wanted to write a lemon...)

Okay, though, seriously, there are a few companion stories to this now. There's **Gold and Silver**, the main story of the upperclassmen, then there's two upcoming oneshots (I'm still working on them, but I know they're going to be put up) called **The Silver Phoenix's Golden Funeral Pyre** (a short 'later on' plot idea with some Hell KaiserxKieran, KieranxAster, and some Victoryshipping) and a tentatively-titled **Bleached Red to Dye Black**, which is all about the Society of Light and how it "affected" the relationships (don't worry, when it comes there, the storyline will work out differently), and the pairings for that will be (due to the fact there ARE no effing pairing for this, I'm going to have to make up my own names AGAIN) Whitehornetshipping (White!ChazzxWhite!Bastion), Whiterivalshipping (White!ChazzxJaden), and White!BastionxSora.

* * *

><p>There is no mention of the actual episodes, so I did not have to steal anyone's dialogue.<p>

This chapter has three names. The first two are (roughly) the English titles of Episodes 5 and 6, the Japanese translating to "A Dark Demon Deck" and "Miracle of Hane Kuriboh", and then the next one is my own personal dub for the chapters, "Of Dreams and Nightmares".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Can't you tell? The card games would have been WAY more boring...

* * *

><p>Chapter 56: The Shadow Duelist, Parts One and Two or "Of Dreams and Nightmares"

"And then," Bastion continued in the scariest voice he could muster, "the little boy leaned further over the well to try to see the demon world that was said to live in the bottom of it." He paused here for dramatic effect, noticing the way Chumley and Syrus were shaking, the latter clinging to a serious-looking Jaden, and containing a small quirk of irritation that Sora, whose idea it was to do thing whole story-telling thing in the first place, was watching him with a bored expression. "He peered deeply into the abyss, straining his eyes until he could see a light. Inside the light was a room, filled with incense… and a man with long black hair and spectacles who was shagging his cat."

"MY EYES!" Chumley screamed, causing Sora to cackle evilly, falling off his chair with the force of his mirth as his feet pushed the wood too far back to support his two-legged lean from the table.

"OH MY GODS, THAT WAS _PRICELESS_!" the redhead howled, clutching his sides.

"I will never be clean!" Syrus cried. "That was better fitting an eight-star card, not a five one!"

Jaden, as the only one unaffected, blurted the one thing that could explain why he hadn't reacted to the story. "What's shagging?"

Sora, who had just recovered from his previous fit, burst out in another fit of mirth. _Oh Chazz, you just _had_ to pick the ultimate virgin, didn't you?_

Bastion turned on the laughing Ra, scowling when he growled, "Well all right then, Mister Unable-to-be-scared, why don't you show us how it's done and draw a card?"

The disguised Princeton smirked, silver eyes gleaming dangerously as he reached forward and, in a simple sleigh-of-hand, "drew" a card they hadn't even known was in his deck, Buster Blader, an eight-star monster. Of course, none of them would have been able to figure out that it was his own personal copy of the card since he'd been sure to have them include it in the deck they were playing with. "All right then," he said, rubbing his palms together gleefully, "I'm going to enjoy this."

"When I was little, my brothers thought it would be fun to tell me there was a monster under the bed," he began, the start of his story a far cry from the shoes he had to fill. "I was five at the time, so it was an easy step to believe them. They were my older brothers, why would they have reason to lie to me and my twin? Scared, we would huddle together underneath the blankets, staying up half the night clinging to each other in fear of the things that lurked under our bed. Every time the floor creaked, the house moved on its foundation, the wood shifted as it naturally moved with the change in temperature, we would let out little whimpers, believing them to be our last."

Syrus shivered at the tale, remembering when Zane had pulled a similar prank on his and Kieran Salem, though the elder blond had been kind enough to do monster-sweeps before they all went to bed. Even so, he could relate with that—the pair of them had slept in the elder Truesdale's bed enough times as they grew up because of that bedtime story until he'd finally relented and told him it was all an elaborate lie meant to scare them both. Only Kieran had seen the humor in it.

"As we grew older, we realized that our brothers were assholes and had told us the entire story to frighten us, laughing it off, but what they didn't know was that I could still hear them. I could hear the sound of clawed feet on the floor, creeping closer and closer to me and my twin as we slept, and I would lie there as still as I could, hoping and praying that it would think us both dead and not bother us, but when my twin caught the two morons sneaking into my room with a fluffy pipecleaner to simulate antennae, he was pissed. I was soothed. I wasn't crazy."

His voice turned dark now, spookier. "That is, until I came here. I started to notice the monster again, here where my brothers couldn't get me. Sure, I wasn't hearing it anymore… but I could feel it, and this time I have the marks to prove it." He rolled up his sleeves to his elbow, revealing the gauze wrapped around his pale arms. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began unwinding the fabric, causing the others to lean in closer to him in hopes of glimpsing some evidence of this horrible beast he spoke of. It was then that he struck.

Making a horrible roaring sound that was so unlike a human voice none of the other boys would have even remotely _thought _he could utter it, he flashed his hands forward in claws that scraped mere inches from their faces, causing them all to scream and jump back. He cackled, leaning back in his chair and beginning the steady process of rewrapping the bandages. "And that, my dear Bastion, is how you scare the pants off somebody."

"Oh my gods, I think you just gave me a heart attack," he gasped, clutching his chest melodramatically. Chumley said nothing, instead giving the bunk beds the Slifers shared a dubious look. "I think I'll just leave now before you end up drawing a higher-level card."

Sora hid a pout as he watched the other Ra walk out the door; the entire reason he'd come over to the dorm was to spend some time with the mathematician. Tying off his gauze again, he slipped the Buster Blader into the pocket his deck hid inside, getting to his feet. "It's getting kind of late, I should probably go."

Jaden waved, only a little shaken by the tale that still disturbed his two roommates. "Well all right then, you'll just miss the show!"

* * *

><p><em>Chazz opened his eyes to see the lidded chocolate orbs of his rival, that sun-kissed skin leaning against his forehead as parted lips sent breath huffing over his mouth. "Ja-Jaden," the Princeton stuttered, silver eyes wide and a hint of a blush warming his pale cheeks, "what are you doing?" he breathed shyly, self-conscious in a way he'd never been before around anyone else.<em>

"_Chazz," the brunet purred, sending a shiver down the ravenet's spine. "I want that rematch."_

"_A-all right," the Obelisk murmured, unable to pull himself away from the warm body of the other boy. "Just let me get my deck…"_

_A pair of arms pinned him to the bed, Jaden's face looming in to his. "No," he pronounced firmly, confidence saturating his tone. "You won't need it for our _duel_."_

"_What are you talking abou-?" he began, but the other cut him off, fiercely kissing his lips. He groaned into the kiss, his hands coming up to cup the boy's face as Jaden pressed his heated body closer, rubbing their lower halves together and releasing a moan from his pale lips._

"_I like you, Chazz," Jaden murmured, pulling back to lock eyes with the Obelisk once more. "I really like you."_

"_I like you too, slacker," Chazz replied breathily, leaning in to steal a kiss from those succulent lips._

_The Slifer's mouth twitched slightly, almost as if he wanted to smile. "I want to show you _exactly _how much I like you," he whispered, leaning forward to teasingly run his tongue over Chazz's mouth before dropping down, bestowing kisses and soft nips over the other's bare chest. He paused, an uncharacteristic smirk on his face, even if it belonged there due to its mischievousness, before he dipped his head down to engulf Chazz's erection in his mouth (where had his boxers gone, the ravenet was _certain_ he was wearing boxers when he curled up under the blankets of his bed, not that he was complaining)._

"_Jaden!" he cried, his fingers fisting in those silky chocolate locks as his hips bucked upwards, only for the Slifer to put a hand on the jut of the bone, forcing him back down so that he wouldn't choke on the heated flesh. Chazz's back arched at the sublime feeling, loosing a mix of vulgar curses as a warm tongue swept underneath his head, lapping up his precum. He was so close, he could feel it, and he bucked his hips, overpowering a willing Jaden in an attempt to surpass that peak, but the other boy pulled away teasingly, licking his lips._

"_Sorry Chazz," he murmured, licking the Princeton's lips in an apology, "but I can't have you filling up on the appetizer, now can I?"_

_He moaned out something vaguely similar to an agreement, anything to get those lips on his skin again, and was rewarded for his obedience with a tongue inside of his mouth, casually exploring the depths the cavern had to offer. After a moment, the brunet pulled away, panting, and began sucking on his fingers, the promise in his half-lidded eyes making the Princeton's drive increase exponentially at the sight. "Fucking hell _yes_," he moaned, closing his eyes as he tossed his head back, thrusting his hips up when the sexy creature straddling his chest inserted his own fingers into his ass, the appendages knowing exactly where his prostate was and teasing it to no end._

* * *

><p>He opened his silver eyes to find it was only him in his bed, a grinning Sora standing beside him. "Pleasant dream, Chazz?" the redhead taunted, making him aware of the erection he was sporting, the black sheets that <em>might<em> have covered the problem instead having been kicked over to the other side of the bed.

"Shut up Sora," the ravenet replied hotly, his chin tucking to his collarbone in an instinctive attempt to hide his pink cheeks. "Like I haven't walked in on _you _enough times over the years."

"True true," he mocked, "but never when I was moaning a name at the top of my lungs."

Chazz's response was to throw his pillow in the face of his twin, stalking off to the bathroom for a cold shower, his dignity in tatters, at least for the current moment. There wasn't a lot of situations more embarrassing that he could think of at this particular moment, even though he would concede that Sora, with his flirtatious nature and the single boyfriend he'd had before coming to Duel Academy, was the more sexually-experienced twin. Still, he wasn't low enough to masturbate in the shower while his little brother was in the room next door, that was a line he refused to cross at this given moment, no matter how horny he was. Or how wonderful his mind was imagining Jaden's mouth would feel on his cock. Okay, maybe just this once…

* * *

><p>Bastion looked over at the knock on his door, his brow furrowing as he answered the sound. Sora stood there in a pair of red corduroy pants, looking up at him softly. "Can I sleep with you?" he asked softly, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. "My room's just a little too big tonight for my tastes." He gave a sheepish smile. "Like I said, I'm used to sleeping with my twin…"<p>

The ravenet blinked. _Out of everyone he knows… he chooses _me_? _"Um, sure thing," he murmured, standing aside to admit the other into his room. "You actually caught me just before I was going to sleep myself." He was a little self-conscious of the fact he only had on a pair of blue boxers, but the other boy didn't seem to care.

In fact, he smiled, hugging the other close. "Thank you, Bastion," he murmured.

The mathematician froze, unused to such expressions of affection before his eyes softened and he wrapped an arm around Sora's back. "Anytime."

* * *

><p>Chumley was asleep in class for once, but Sora couldn't help chuckling as he caught a string of what the chubby Slifer was whispering as he slept. "No… not the cuts… antennae…"<p>

Biting his lip, the redhead turned to Bastion with wide silver eyes. "Can I borrow your felt-tip marker?" he asked innocently, using the pain to keep from revealing the smirk threatening to cover his mouth. Only Chazz in the back of the room could tell that the Ra was planning something devious and he prepared as such, mentally running a list of the emergency procedures the teachers had instructed during the first day of school.

"Sure," Bastion replied naively, digging it out of his jacket pocket and handing it to the Warrior duelist.

"Thanks!" he chirped back, wriggling his torso down underneath the seat, his ass sticking up in the air cutely as if to advertise that he was merely retrieving something he'd dropped rather than carefully running the very edges of the felt along Chumley's neck, making the elder boy scream, sitting bolt-upright and scrabbling at his neck.

Sora popped up after a moment longer, while people were attempting to calm the hyperventilating Slifer, and cheerfully announced "Got it!" as he flourished a pencil he'd pulled from the inside of his sleeve. He blinked, asking the question he was required to if he was hoping to remain unsuspected. "Hey, what's wrong with him?"

"It was just a bad nightmare," Bastion answered simply.

* * *

><p>Bastion: Jeez, this is an early update.<p>

Chazz: *glares* YOU VIOLATED MY LITTLE BROTHER!

... Technically he's your twin.

Chazz: I'LL KILL YOU! *chases after Bastion with a chainsaw*

Bastion: *runs*

Jaden: Reviews will... um...

They will result in you receiving something from Chazz's porn collection!

Jaden: ... Um... until next time?

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	6. E7: Sho's Vechicroid Deck

Black and Red

... I did some major ass-hauling for this chapter, just so you know. I _wanted _to release this a week later, but instead, I decided to go with now instead of trying to finish up my other two oneshots for this "series". Oh well, it was worth it. Just remember, reading and reviewing the companion story **Gold and Silver** would make my day even better!

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><p>This chapter contains no dialogue taken from the show, thus I did not need to steal anything. However, legitimate research went into both the song and Sora's condition, (the only thing I don't know for sure is that they USE epipens for this, but I'm taking some author's liberties).<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 7. The English-dub instead uses "Duel and Unusual Punishment".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or "Merissa"/ "Melissa" by Porno Graffiti (from the show FullMetal Alchemist). I do, however, own the song on my iPod and a copy of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga volume 7 (made my day finding that at Barnes and Noble while looking for some completely unrelated book...)

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><p>Chapter 7: Sho's (Syrus's) Vehicroid Deck<p>

"Hey, have you heard?" Sora asked, leaning on Chazz's head as the Obelisk attempted to do some homework.

"Considering that you haven't _told _me what it is that I'm supposed to have heard, I don't _know _if I've heard about it or not," he replied testily, a vein throbbing in his temple even if he didn't have the heart to throw his twin off of him.

"Apparently Jaden Yuki snuck into the Abandoned Dorm and was taken away by the Disciplinary Action Squad," the redhead said, pulling back in preparation of the eminent explosion.

"_What_?" the ravenet yelped, silver eyes wide before he calmed himself, smoothing his expression into his trademark smirk. "Could you repeat that, I didn't quite hear what you said because of the way you were _buried in my hair!_"

Sora smirked right back, knowing exactly what the problem was even if he did acquiesce to his twin's request. "The Disciplinary Action Squad carted Jaden off this morning for alleged trespass into the Abandoned Dorm."

_But the slacker could be expelled!_ He let out a growl underneath his breath. "Keep an eye on the matter," he commanded, dropping his pride since he knew Sora wouldn't judge him for it. "If it looks like Jaden'll be expelled, I want you to start throwing the Princeton name around." _I _refuse_ to let him slip away from me so easily._

"Well… he does have a chance…" the Ra stated, looking down. "You see, Crowler stood up for Jaden, claiming that they had to give him a chance to stay, so he and Syrus Truesdale will be Tag-Dueling someone in order to decide their fates."

_Oh, they are _not _letting _the _slacker duel with _that _slacker!_ "I want you to look into seeing if they'll change Jaden's partner," the Obelisk commanded. "I want to be at his side myself, but it'll likely be less suspicious if you volunteer…"

"Oh no," his twin stated with a sly look in his eye, "if you want this, _you're _coming with me when I sneak out of class to go see the Chancellor."

"And _how _will I know what it is you're planning?" he sighed exasperatedly, thinking he'd outsmarted the redhead. "After all, if I don't know what I'm supposed to follow you, it'd sort of defeat the purpose."

Sora smirked, sauntering towards the door. "Don't worry, Chazzy," he reassured, "you'll know."

* * *

><p>Bastion sat down at the end of the table Sora had commandeered that morning, a group of monster cards spread across the table, none of them Warrior-type cards, thus meaning they weren't his deck. In fact, considering that there were Dragon-Type, Beast-Type, Machine-Type, Pyro-Type, and Insect-Type monsters spread over the table, he had a feeling that the redhead was playing some sort of version of solitaire, especially since the cards were stacked up on each other in seven different piles, some of which were on top of facedowns, and the boy was flipping through a small deck in his hand that was rather lacking, slapping three cards down on the table and glancing at the top before adding another three.<p>

"You know, most people eat breakfast, not play card games of their own devising," the mathematician remarked, settling himself in a chair beside the other Ra with his toast and favoring the boy who had crept his way into being his friend with a fond smile.

"I actually didn't make this up," Sora stated without looking up, moving a handful of cards around smoothly in order to turn over a high-level Dragon-type (Tyrant Dragon to be exact) to his dismay. "My brother did one day when we were left home alone and I didn't want to duel."

"Speaking of dueling," the ravenet continued, the words of the other having sparked an image of the Samatoko standing in the center of the arena, his hair tied back with a black ribbon and his awkward stance despite his comfortable aura as he dueled, "why do you duel with such a strange stance?"

Sora laughed, setting the cards in his hand down to give the other his full attention. "It's actually all my brother's fault," he answered, his voice still light with his amusement. "Our older brothers taught him to duel after he first showed an aptitude for it, but because I never liked it, it was actually my twin who taught me. Unfortunately for us, he did it through practice, and being as young as I was, I merely tried to mirror him in how he held it, which backfired because I didn't realize I had to put the disk on my other arm. By the time I figured it out, I had already grown so used to my quick improvisation that I couldn't quite manage to do it any other way, though I did end up on a kind of middle ground with my current setup." Almost as if he was just remembering it, he pulled a prescription bottle out of his pocket, shaking out a little white pill onto the table beside his plate.

Bastion looked at him in concern, unable to remember the other boy doing this before. "You're taking medication?" he asked.

Sora gave a nervous smile. "Yeah, they're for anxiety. I have agoraphobia, have since I was a little kid. It's just easier to medicate myself than it is to try to tough it out most days." He glanced down at his PDA and let out a yelp, quickly finishing off his scrambled eggs and downing his glass of water before stealing a piece of Bastion's toast (without the marmalade) and holding it between his teeth. "Oh my Ra, we're going to be late!" he yelped, grabbing the genius's arm and dragging him off, leaving the little white pill to sit innocently on the plate.

* * *

><p>Chazz could see Sora was acting strangely. The younger Princeton's legs were pulled up into his chest as he breathed quickly, his skin paler than usual and his jaw tightly clenched as though he was afraid of throwing up. Silver eyes widened as he realized what was wrong. <em>Sora's… having a panic attack!<em> He was afraid, Sora hadn't had one in so long… surely it couldn't have been triggered by his own demands on the redhead? Even worse, he couldn't go down and comfort the younger because of the demands their damn older brother had placed on them.

"Mister Samatoko!" Crowler cried, running out of patience for what could easily have been his least favorite student aside from Jaden. "Cut out that nonsense and pay attention to the class!"

The redhead didn't seem to hear him, singing a song Chazz knew well. "_Kimi no te de kirisaite Tooi hi no kioku wo/ Kanashimi no iki no ne wo tometekure yo/ Saa Ai ni kogareta mune wo tsuranuke_," the boy sang in a wavering, soft voice, lost in his own little world and ignorant of the reassuring hand Bastion put on his shoulder.

That _had _to be the signal; it was the song Chazz had sung to him when they were younger and the younger had gone into this state. He wasn't aware Sora had still remembered it.

Bastion leaned down to him, rubbing circles into his back and pulling him close. "Doctor Crowler, Sora needs to go to the infirmary," he stated firmly. "He forgot to take medicine this morning and is suffering a panic attack as a result."

"_Asu ga kuru hazu no sora wo mite Mayou bakari no kokoro moteamashiteru/ Katawara no tori ga habataita Doko ka hikari wo mitsukerareta no ka na_," Sora continued in an undertone, shaking hard enough for it to be visible against Bastion's firm chest. "_Naa Omae no se ni ore mo nosetekurenai ka?/ Soshite ichiban takai toko de okizari ni shite yasashisa kara toozakete_"

Chazz felt a stab of guilt. His brother, his precious little brother, must have deliberately not taken his medicine this morning just so that he could have an excuse to get out of the classroom. "_Kimi no te de kirisaite Tooi hi no kioku wo/ Kanashimi no iki no ne wo tometekure yo/ Saa Ai ni kogareta mune wo tsuranuke_."

Doctor Crowler scowled as Sora continued, heedless of the ravenet Ra's attempts to draw the other out of his stupor. "_Tori wo yuuyami ni miokutta Chi wo hau bakari no ore wo kaze ga nazeru/ Hane ga hoshii to wa iwanai sa Semete chuu ni mau melissa no ha ni naritai_."

"What the hell is he even _singing_?" the teacher asked confusedly.

Chazz couldn't take it anymore. He pushed his chair back, going down to Sora's eye level and murmuring along with the lyrics in a quiet undertone, not giving a damn about who saw him. "_Mou Zuibun to tachitsukushite mita kedo/ Tabun kotae wa nai no darou/ Kono kaze ni mo iku ate nado nai you ni_."

His voice transitioned into a gentle sliding song at Sora's silver eyes locking on his own, the redhead's muscles loosening enough to let his feet drop back down to the floor as his voice started to fall away, enchanted by his twin's voice instead. "_Kimi no te de kagi wo kakete Tamerai nado nai daro/ Machigatte mo Nidoto aku koto no nai you ni/ Saa Jou no ochiru oto de owarasete_."

"Very well, Mister Princeton," Crowler said, waving his hands. "Since you seem to know the song Mister Samatoko is singing, you will take to the infirmary until he can tell Miss Fountain what it is she needs to administer to him."

Chazz answered with a nod, leading his brother around docilely like a lamb as they strode down the aisleway and out the door, the final notes of the song hanging around them soothingly and reassuring the both of them that nothing existed outside of themselves. "_Sukui no nai tamashii wa nagasarete kieyuku/ __  
><em>Kieteyuku shunkan ni wazuka hikaru Ima Tsuki ga michiru yoru wo umidasu no sa__." By this time, they were out of the classroom, which meant that Chazz didn't have to worry about an audience as he yanked an epipen out of the pocket of his own blue Obelisk jacket and hurriedly yanked down one side of those damnable camouflage cargo pants to inject the other with the tranquilizer medicine inside his thigh. "You moron," the ravenet hissed as Sora's trembling calmed down. "You shouldn't have done that."

Sora chuckled wryly, the sound a lot breathier than it should have been. "It got us out of class, didn't it?" he asked sarcastically. "Besides, what do I need those damn meds for when I have you instead?"

Chazz's eyes narrowed at his twin. "Sora…" he growled dangerously.

"Relax, Chazzy, about half of that was exaggerated," he soothed. _I was doing fine with Bastion beside me… the only reason I was acting up in the first place was because I had asked to be alone today. But of course, you don't know I weaned myself off the medication years ago… _"And not only am I fine now," he continued, "but I also got us both out of class." Chazz's answering glare could have melted iron, but he followed after his twin anyway.

* * *

><p>"Was it just me or was Chazz acting weird?" Jaden asked Syrus innocently.<p>

"Yeah…" Syrus murmured, "I got the impression he didn't care for anyone or anything but himself, yet there he was helping out Sora and Bastion." The blue-haired boy paused, eyes widening. "What if he only did it to abandon Sora when he relapses?" he yelped in alarm.

"I don't think he would," Jaden shot back, unsure exactly why he was defending the stuck-up Obelisk but somehow certain of the others selflessness in offering his assistance to the quiet Ra. "Chazz just… had this look on his face. If he wanted to leave Sora, he wouldn't have gone down in the first place." _In fact, it was almost… endearing the way he was trying to hide the care he was treating the other boy with… Wait, what the hell am I _thinking? _Chazz is my _rival!_ I shouldn't be thinking _anything _he does is in any way endearing!_

"Jay? You okay?"

He started at Syrus's concerned voice, plastering a sheepish smile on his face. "Yeah, fine, why?"

"You had this really serious look on your face, like you were thinking really hard about something that was really complicated… but that you didn't want to let go."

He let out a nervous laugh. "I was just trying to figure out if I wanted to put a new card in my deck, that's all Sy!" he stated, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry for worrying you."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean <em>it's out of your hands<em>?" Sora demanded irritatedly, his silver eyes burning as he slammed his hands down on the desk. "Both Chazz and I are offering that Jaden and Syrus's Tag Duel be split into two separate duels with my twin serving as Jaden's partner and myself as Syrus's! Even having the two duel us would be better than doing nothing! You're the Chancellor of this school, you can make it happen!"

"But that's where you're wrong," Sheppard answered, leaning back slightly from the hyped-up redhead. "The details of the duel have been set in stone with the Disciplinary Action Squad, and as for their opponents, Doctor Crowler has already volunteered to take care of things. I can't take back that aspect, but perhaps you can ask him, though it's highly unlikely you'll convince him. He seems to think you're useless."

_Useless… _The word burned into Sora's mind, echoing loudly in his ears as he clutched at his arms tightly enough to have drawn blood had it not been for the gauze he kept wrapped around his arms. Choking back a sob, he spun on his heel and strode out of the room, his combat boots snapping staccato against the floor until the slam of the door cut him off. "You've done it now," Chazz sighed, pinching his brow and closing his silver eyes. "If there's one thing that drives Sora up the wall, it's being called 'useless'. He'll likely be doing something rather rash right about now…"

The man sighed. "I really am sorry, but there _is _nothing I can do."

Chazz's eyes narrowed and he too left the office, slamming the door behind him. Sure, he may not have been able to do anything to help Jaden with his duel, but if the other boy was expelled… well… he would do his best to get the other boy to another dueling school, likely the prestigious North Academy.

* * *

><p>Sora threw himself into the bathroom and his yellow jacket to the floor, panting harshly as he scrabbled at a pocket on his pants. He let out a low curse as his fingers fumbled with the razor blade he'd jerked out, snatching the thin metal from the floor uncaring of the cut he inflicted upon his palm. He impatiently straightened it out, cutting his fingers as he did so and ignoring the rivulets of blood dripping down his slender phalanges. Bearing down on the edge with his pointer and clutching it tightly between his thumb and middle, he slashed wildly at his arms, causing shallow scrapes where the blade came in contact with the gauze it had to cut first before it could reach pale flesh. His spirit partner struggled with him, desperately trying to stop him from continuing such a dangerous act, but to no avail. Whirling on his heel, the monster disappeared from the room, searching for one of the two people who might be able to help his young wielder. Sora Princeton could <em>not <em>meet his end today.

* * *

><p>Bastion had a bad feeling. He was worried about Sora, who was said not to have gone anywhere near the hospital wing with or without Chazz in tow. As such, it was that concern that led him into visiting the other Ra's room. Noticing the bathroom door was ajar, he nudged it open with his foot to the disturbing sight of a possessed Sora slicing at his wrists and arms with a razor blade. "Sora!" he cried, causing the redhead to look up in time for him to wrest the blade from slack, unprotesting fingers. "Why were you trying to kill yourself?" he demanded fiercely, unwrapping the rest of the gauze since it was ruined anyway. He snagged the first-aid kit out from under the sink, pushing it open and gathering his materials to begin mechanically dressing the wounds.<p>

"I wasn't," the Samatoko stated monotonously. "I just needed to feel something."

The genius gave him a weird look as he put on a band-aid. He made sure not to leave the gauze this time, it left new cuts too easily covered. "Sure looked like it to me."

"I would have stopped," the Warrior duelist protested weakly, something in those silver eyes almost seeming to question his own story. "I would have."

Bastion snorted but let the matter go, continuing to cater to the many wounds until Sora's arms were covered to his liking. He tugged the smaller male to his feet, towing him out towards his own room, much to the confusion of the youngest Princeton. "Come on," the mathematician said. "I'm not letting you be alone until you've broken the habit."

"It's not a habit," Sora sulked moodily, but he made no attempt to escape the larger's grip. For some reason, Bastion felt just as safe as Chazz did…

* * *

><p>Chazz: ... I can't believe you had me do that in front of the whole class...<p>

... I can't believe I was the one who came up with Duel Monsters solitaire... or that King Atticus duels with _birdies_.

Bastion: ...

Jaden: ...

I will say, though, I like your manga deck better, Chazzy... dragons suit you WAYYYYY better...

Chazz: ...

Jaden: ...

Bastion: ... Review and we'll give you the rules to Duel Monsters poker! Or Duel Monsters Blackjack at any rate...

* * *

><p>Rules for Duel Monsters Solitaire: something that you can play with Pokemon cards too, albeit with modified rules. Before you start, you need four different types with one monster for each star rank 1-8 and then two more higher than 8 that are different levels. The fifth type requires 4 level 1-4 monsters, 4 level 5-6 monsters, 4 level 7-8 monster, and 4 eight or higher level monsters. The initial setup and play is much like normal solitaire in that your task is to try to "level up" each type to first "10", but the fifth type changes the way the game is played. The fifth type actually serves as an ace if it's a card 4 stars or less (you can actually change which type it's serving for if you take out all the cards on top of it) and each of the face cards jack (5-6), queen (7-8), and king (9 or higher). Another difference is that any type of monster can sit on any other type except its own provided the levels are within one star (a chain would be a 5-star Machine, 4-star Insect, 3-star Warrior, and so on).<p>

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	7. E8: For the Sake of Syrus

Black and Red

Double update today due to a short chapter. Remember to read **Gold and Silver**, the companion story!

* * *

><p>... Still haven't stolen any lines from anything except the actual episode this time... Go figure.<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episode 8. Its Japanese version translates to "The Strongest! Cyber End Dragon".

I have never, do not, and likely never will own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Thus said, I now encourage you to sell the rights for me, if only so that horrible things may happen!

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: For the Sake of Syrus<p>

Sora brushed his fingers over the skin of his arm, still unable to believe he could do so without running up against the barrier of gauze that had been there for so long. Bastion had kept his word, refusing to leave his side unless he was in a public setting where there was little to no chance of being able to slip away and cut himself again. Of course, that had meant that he'd had no interaction with Chazz over the past several days, but his twin was somehow okay with contenting himself with messages sent over the PDA rather than actually talking things out like they had all their lives. Actually, he'd only today wheedled the other Ra into letting him sneak over to the Obelisk dorm to see his twin, where Chazz had been delighted to see him, even if he showed that appreciation by grumbling out curses when he answered the door to his younger brother.

At the sound of the running water stopping—Chazz had to take a shower and Sora had been content to wait until he was done—he hurriedly yanked the sleeve of his yellow uniform jacket down, getting up off the bed and walking over to the window to look down at the courtyard. He saw a red-jacketed brunet by the gate and his silver eyes widened. "Chazz," he called over his shoulder as he opened the window so that the sound could waft up, his tone alerting the ravenet that something important was happening, "look."

"What's your problem?" Jaden cried as the pair of Obelisk students threw him to the ground, causing the elder Princeton twin to bristle.

"I ain't got no problem," one of the two stated cockily, "but you sure will if you don't beat it."

"Yeah," the other snickered, "Zane wouldn't waste his time with you, you're still probably wet behind the ears from pre-duel school."

"I am not!" Jaden protested sharply, getting to his feet, only to receive a bucket of what Sora knew firsthand to be ice water from the two cackling Obelisks.

"Now you are!" they proclaimed, walking away.

The fierceness of Chazz's silver eyes spoke for how much the Obelisk Princeton wanted to clobber the two within an inch of their lives for their past transgressions against Sora and their present ones against Jaden, a temptation exemplified by his fisting hands at his sides, only the knot of his towel keeping his modesty. "Relax Chazz," the redhead soothed, giving the elder twin a playful smile. "Jaden can take care of himself."

The ravenet made a choking sound, startled silver eyes finding their amused counterparts. "I- I'm not concerned about that Slifer slacker!" he protested, a fierce blush bellying his words. "I just don't want to lose the only other duelist at this school good enough to be my rival, that's all!"

"Yeah," Sora muttered, throwing himself down on the bed and bringing a finger up to idly trace out patterns on the ceiling, part of him wondering idly what it would feel like against his bare skin, "you always did defeat me when we were younger…"

"You used your cards expertly," the ravenet admitted as he got dressed in his uniform, "but the only card you ever _played _was Command Knight."

_That's because it's the only card in my deck I ever really bonded with_… Sora sighed. "Bastion's keeping a really close eye on me and I don't like it."

"Want me to duel him for you?" The Obelisk snatched up his deck without waiting for an answer.

"No!" Sora yelled, shooting up to grab a hold of his brother's arm. _You're my brother, Chazz, but I know that one day, you won't be able to be there for me anymore… and Bastion, I think he might just be the one to be there at my side to catch me when that day comes… _He gave an uneasy smile, spreading his hands now that he was assured of his twin's attention. "It's fine."

Chazz searched the redhead's eyes for a prolonged moment before he sighed, rubbing his temples. "All right, Sora, I'll let you handle this one, but if he starts harassing you, you tell me, okay?"

The younger nodded, looking down at his yellow Ra jacket, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Yellow is _not _my color," he grouched, picking at the hem of his right sleeve with his left hand. "I wish I could wear something else instead, I just don't know _what_."

"I'll look into it for you," Chazz answered absently. "Now come on, I'm pretty sure you haven't _started _on that paper Crowler assigned that's due tomorrow, and you _aren't _going to get it done here with me." At his twin's pouting expression, he stated, "Come on, Sora, I don't want you getting yelled at just because you're failing _Ra._"

"Fine," he grouched, "but you'd better do something more productive than daydream about Jaden, Chazz." The blushing Obelisk threw the nearest pillow at the cackling form of his twin brother, not wanting to accidentally hurt his baby brother no matter how angry or embarrassed he was at the time.

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><p>Bastion didn't need to look up at his equation at the sound of his door opening, knowing only Sora would bother coming into the mathematician's private quarters without knocking first. And yet he did, unable to contain a hint of worry, that nagging sense of doubt that the redhead's mysterious older brother wouldn't protect him if he wasn't there to explicitly ensure as such. Lately, he hadn't been at ease unless Sora was at his side, something that had been rather awkward even if he <em>had <em>painted over the wall he'd once adorned with the other's deck. Instead, he'd moved it into a red notepad, along with the beginnings of another formula, this one something he was having to come up with from scratch.

Sora fought back a yawn, the notion of work already making him bored. "I've gotta go back to my room today," he stated, his fingers coming up beside him to trace the math of an equation he couldn't quite understand. "Crowler's essay will be easier to write with all those card lists at my disposal."

Bastion got up from his seat on the bed, knowing that the other could all too easily slip into his self-destructive habit otherwise. "Lead the way," he replied, his accent lending itself to the illusion that he was a valiant knight protecting a damsel.

* * *

><p>Sora was rummaging through his drawers, searching for a particular handout the Obelisk Blue instructor had given him, and Bastion watching him impassively from the bed—he would have merely let the redhead borrow his own save for the fact that the two had been given different topics and had thus taken different notes—when the door opened, revealing a teal-haired fourth-year Obelisk and a blond third-year Ra, the pair of them appearing to be discussing something, the latter making some motion with their conjoined hands before he paused at the sight of the two younger students. Neither upperclassman said anything as the blond came in, the bluenet leaning against the doorjamb as he waited for the smaller to extract a thick binder from the drawer beside the bed that Sora had never seen used despite the neat crispness of the sheets. Dancing to the other's side with the binder tucked under his arm, the two left, hands twined together.<p>

"I never knew Zane Truesdale was gay," Bastion commented from the bed.

Sora shrugged, finally extracting the sheet he wanted with a cry of triumph. "You'd be surprised how many are," he stated, mentally referring to both Chazz and himself. "Anyway, can I go for a walk tonight? I have something I need to think about."

"Sure," the ravenet agreed. "I trust you."

* * *

><p>Sora was walking along the docks when he came across a duel between the uptight Obelisk from earlier, Zane, and none other than Jaden. Unfortunately, he came onto the scene just in time to see the former's <span>Cyber End Dragon<span> completely obliterate the E-Hero Mudballman on the field and the remainder of Jaden's Life Points. _Jaden… lost? _the redhead thought in shock, his silver eyes wide. In spite of his worry, he pulled his PDA from his pocket as he turned his back on the duel and strode back to his dorm.

Chazz's face came on in a matter of moments, ebony hair tousled more than usual due to the fact that he had been sleeping before the call had come. "What is it, Sora?" he asked brusquely, fighting back a yawn.

"Jaden dueled Zane Truesdale and lost," he stated blankly.

Chazz blinked in surprise, the words not quite making their way through his head. "Jaden… _lost_?" he parroted confusedly. "How? When? Why? _How_?"

"Zane got out his Cyber End Dragon," the redhead explained. That was all he needed to say; both Princeton boys knew the fearsome machine fusion monster delivered piercing damage and the only card in his deck that could have protected the brunet from it would have been Winged Kuriboh, the only thing to defeat it Winged Kuriboh Level 10. Even in their own decks, neither Princeton had a card powerful enough to take down the End Dragon alone—Sora would have been able to do it by boosting his highfliers with at least two Command Knights and Chazz gain the monster with his Chthonian Blast, but both solutions would have tentative at best.

"Thanks Sora," Chazz murmured, moving to shut off the devise, but the younger cut him off.

"I'm not done," the redhead added. "I saw my roommate today, and from the look of things, he and Zane are boyfriends."

"Thanks for the gossip, Sora," Chazz replied after a long moment, this time succeeding in his endeavor to disconnect, and leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. He knew firsthand that Zane Truesdale was a powerful duelist and by no means unattractive, but for some reason, he didn't care about the older boy. Sure, it could have been because he knew the upperclassman was out of his reach, taken by Sora's Ra roommate, but the fact that he might not be able to have the object of his affections hadn't stopped him when it came to Jaden Yuki.

He sighed, shaking his head. When it came right down to it, he couldn't deny that he was captivated by Jaden, not Zane. Zane was a fine catch, but… he wanted Jaden… right? Thoroughly regretting answering his PDA by this point, he dumped himself in his bed, figuring it an argument best considered at a later time.

* * *

><p>Bastion: ... Did you just add in some ZanexChazz there?<p>

... Um, yes?

Jaden: HOW COULD YOU? *slaps Chazz and Die*

...

Chazz: ...

Bastion: ... Review?

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><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	8. E9: Single Attack of Shooting!  Return a

Black and Red

Okay, what the frig is 4Kids trying to pull with that 'hot sauce' crap in this entire episode? I mean, Dizzy Tiger… with a bottle of hot sauce? Hell no. If that's not wine, then Atticus doesn't bat for the other team.

Remember to read **Gold and Silver** for the entire story of this saga. Also, for those of you who like this story or have already read it, **Broken Halo**'s having some major shit going down, so go look at that before I do something horrible to it...

* * *

><p>I didn't steal any dialogue from anything but the show.<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 9. The English-dub instead uses "Family Business".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

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><p>Chapter Nine: Single Attack of Shooting! Return a low dining table<p>

Sora honestly couldn't care less about whether Chumley Huffington was leaving or not, he just had thrown himself on Jaden's bunk while he waited for the Slifer to return so that he could ask the perky brunet an important question. Occasionally his hand, which danced above his head conducting the music blaring from his iPod, would stiffen with prickles of his old enemy, but he would reassure himself with a quick glance of his silver eyes to his right before continuing his movements. In fact, he was so into what he was doing that he didn't realize Chumley had stopped packing in order to talk to Jaden and Syrus until the heavy-set Slifer said, "Sometimes duel monsters talk to me."

Sora's sat up sharply, forgetting about the bunk above his current location and banging his head painfully against the wood, which gave Jaden enough time to ask, "Well, did you tell your dad, Chumley?"

"Hold on, back up a minute," the redhead cried, yanking off his headphones without even bothering to stop his music first. "You can hear duel monsters?"

"Of course not! Everything to him is just hot sauce, hot sauce, hot sauce!"

Sora's fingers clawed frustratedly into the blankets. For a moment there… he'd thought he had a way to prove he wasn't insane. "I'll talk to you guys later," he grouched, getting up. Sure, he was worried about Chazz, but quite frankly, he needed to confront Jaden about it when he _didn't _feel like throwing something substantially heavy at the nearest animate object.

* * *

><p>Bastion bit his lip, for the first time actually <em>hoping <em>his math was correct and that the Samatoko had really left the dorm right out the front door and would return the same way. He was worried about the smaller Ra, his friend didn't do well on his own, and even if he knew that there was a mysterious older twin in Obelisk Blue to keep an eye on the gamer, he couldn't help but feel like he should be out there scouring the campus for the other boy rather than patiently waiting for him to resurface.

Thus, it was a sigh of relief that passed his lips when he saw the flaming red hair come over the horizon line, followed by ashen skin and narrowed silver eyes accompanied by a quiet muttering lifting from pale lips. "Sora," he murmured, the edges of a smile teasing his face as he reached out to ruffle that soft silky copper. "You okay?"

Intelligent, tired silver eyes bored into confused brown. "I'll be fine," he supplied as answer enough, the same one he always supplied to any save his twin. He didn't see it as a lie, he _would _be physically all right one day, but right now, he by no means meant it. He may not have gone back to cutting—whenever he picked up the razor blade, intending to do it, he had found that he couldn't quite press down on his skin without that worried, disappointed look in Bastion's eyes coming to mind—but his body, while naturally slender, was drawn to the point where he could easily locate his ribs with a light brush of his fingers. He missed Chazz; the Princeton twins had been separate entities, yes, but the pair had never lived so _separately _before, and Sora hated it.

Bastion sighed but didn't press the matter. _It's not my position to pry… but I wish you'd let me in, Sora. I just want to help you…_

* * *

><p>Chazz bit his lip, leaning back in his chair. He almost wanted to duel Zane to see how he measured up, but there was the small problem of the Obelisk rarely being seen out of the company of a handsome blond Ra student. Reports varied as to whether the Truesdale was actually dating the younger, but there was some information he'd gained about who everyone agreed had known the upperclassman since the two of them had been very young. Kieran Salem was the only person known to have ever defeated Zane in a duel, he used a Dark Magician deck now despite the fact that he had beaten the Obelisk with a Spellcasters deck, he was actually almost two years younger than Zane was though his mental capacity was far beyond that, he wore a custom-made scanner over his eye that recorded information about any duel it was within range of, and he hung out at the Abandoned Dorms. Kieran was a threat to him, regardless of whether he pursued Zane or not.<p>

When he vocalized as such to Sora, he was not expecting the redhead to throw his duel disk onto his arm and decide to have a legitimate duel with him. And how could he tell that his twin brother wasn't going to hold back this time? Simple: the set of those silver eyes was harsh, the chin high, jaw firm. Even more telling, he thought he saw the flit of a red cape off to the side of the redhead before it was gone, something he could've sworn he'd seen before when the youngest Princeton would duel with all his heart. Excited with the prospect of a challenge, he drew his cards and decided to play with as much fire as he could muster.

* * *

><p>Sora had his three <span>Command Knight<span>s on the field (2600), Silent Swordsman Level 7 (4200), a Marauding Captain (2600)—he'd had another one of the very latter but had sacrificed it to summon the Silent Swordsman Level 5—and a good 2200 Life Points left, the damage having been inflicted in a few turns while he tried to set up his strategy, which had actually been done by Chazz's Inferno Reckless Summon. Destroying the Chthonian Soldiers twice with his level five Swordsman while they were in attack mode may not have been his best idea, but it had done him a huge favor. Now, Chazz only had his Reborn Zombie (1800) on the field in defense mode to protect his Life Points of 2200, the rest of his cards having been placed into his spell card zone or discarded to activate the monster's effect of being unable to be destroyed in battle provided there were no cards in his hand.

Sora drew, his face not betraying the anger he felt at the sight of the card. He saw no use for this particular thing, but he kept it in his deck more because it was one of the few that Slade and Jagger had given him when he was younger than because he felt an actual connection to it. "I end my turn," he stated, knowing there was no point in wasting his attack power on a monster that wouldn't be destroyed anyway.

Chazz drew, knowing that with all of his spell card zones filled save one, he could not afford to pull anything he could not play. "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" he cried, his disk spitting the correct number of cards into his hand. _Perfect_, he thought, the corners of his mouth twisting up in a smirk. "I tribute my Reborn Zombie to summon Helpoemer (2000), but he won't be on the field for long because I sacrifice him to bring out Infernal Incinerator (2800), but because of his special effect, he gains an additional 1000 attack points since there's five monsters on your field but none on mine, but that's not all the power boost he's getting. I activate two of my facedown cards, Reinforcements, which adds another 1000 attack to him!" The monster snarled as it practically doubled in size, its gruesome visage high.

"Now, Incinerator, attack the only card you can! Destroy that Marauding Captain with your Hellbreath!"

Sora's arms covered his face from the beast's claws as it fell onto his monster, destroying it with the flick of its tail cutting across his arms like a whip as his meter went down to zero. Chazz gloried in his triumph, Sora hadn't been going easy on him even though he had kept himself busy protecting his Life Points from attacks, but his smile faded from his face when he saw the way Sora had brought his hair around to hide his face. "Sora?"

"I just wanted you to realize that he was bad for you," he whispered quietly, moving to the door. "I only ever wanted what was best for you, Chazz, and I only ever will."

The speechless ravenet watched him leave before he regained his voice. "Fuck!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the wall and ignoring the brief sting of pain. He had hurt his little brother today and he didn't know _how_.

* * *

><p>Sora's nails bit into his wrist, the thumb scraping against the skin, but a firm hand pulled his right hand from his left wrist, straightening the claw-like phalanges. "Don't do that," Bastion scolded softly. "Whatever happened, I'll still be here for you."<p>

The redhead sighed heavily, leaning his head on the genius's shoulder. "Thank you," he murmured softly, closing his silver eyes and falling asleep easily.

* * *

><p>Abrupt ending, but I'm not changing it.<p>

Bastion: ... Why am I so loyal to Sora if you say I don't love him?

... Because you don't have a lot of friends, so you're really loyal to and protective of the ones you have.

Bastion: ... I'd buy that.

It's the same reason why Chazz is so nice to Sora: because his other two brothers are assholes, he's really obsessed with being a "good brother" to the only nice one he has.

Chazz: Hey! The Chazz does not do nice!

... The Chazz is going to be doing his hand if he doesn't shut up now.

Chazz: ...

Jaden: ... Review please!

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><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	9. E10&11: Unexpected Results

Black and Red

You have no idea how much of a trial it was to get this chapter done. I'd better get some reviews for this...

Companion stories to this one include **Gold and Silver**. Please read it as well since the plot isn't complete without it.

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><p>Okay, as far as transcribing goes, I took major steps back, but you know what, in my defense, I thought I was going to have to transcribe most of these duels. Anyway, I took the show's dialogue from <span>Hidden Eyes Telling Lies<span> by **Queen of Briannia**. Again, it wasn't taken maliciously, so don't gut me for it, okay?

This chapter has three names. The first two are (roughly) the English titles of Episodes 10 and 11, the Japanese translating to "Judai [Jaden] and Sho [Syrus]! Tag Duel, Part 1" and "Judai and Sho! Tag Duel, Part 2", and then the next one is my own personal dub for the chapters, "Unexpected Results".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, "Want You Gone" from Portal 2, or "Colors" by FLOW. I wish I did though...

* * *

><p>Chapter TenEleven: "Tag Team Trial, Parts One and Two" or "Unexpected Results".

Chazz was trying desperately to figure out what he'd done wrong the last time he'd seen Sora. _Okay, we dueled and I beat him, but that can't be it, I usually defeat him without too much trouble, we _both _know I'm the better duelist out of the two of us. That would mean the source came from something I did before our duel… but what _is_ it? More importantly, how am I supposed to redeem myself if I don't even know what I did?_

"That Slifer slacker's made a fool of me for long enough!"

Silver eyes widened. _Of course! Sora _did _want to keep the slacker here, along with the little hobbit, and he always _does _like it when I'm nice to someone without any ulterior motives… I guess I could give this a shot._ He strode forward, ignoring the fleeing Slifers and instead approaching the muttering teacher. "Doctor Crowler."

The man wheeled around impatiently. "Ah, Chazz, how may I be of service?" he asked, giving a gracious smile.

"You can put me in that tag team duel against Jaden and Syrus, that's how." He stood straight, trying to look every inch the intimidating Princeton that he was.

The effeminate blond pretended to look surprised. "You?"

"That's right," he replied confidently, "this time I know I can beat him and send him packing." _If Zane can beat him, then so can I! I won't be second-rate to some Slifer now that I know an Obelisk can beat him! _He ignored the notion in his mind that, in spite of Jaden being a fairly good duelist (the fact that he was a Slifer when he was able to defeat opponents much tougher than himself had made it fairly obvious that he was kept in the red dorm only by his own choice), he couldn't quite manage to condone the idea of his brother dating the perky brunet, again the idea flying in the face of the fact that he had considered the other as a potential boyfriend before Zane handed him his defeat. Chazz would be damned if he admitted he was wrong without good reason!

"Sorry, but you'll be sitting this duel out, Chazz," Crowler sneered.

"Huh?" Chazz blurted in surprise, blinking. The Princeton charm had _never _failed to get him what he wanted, even if it was only something he just handed right to his twin.

"Don't get me wrong," the man continued as if the ravenet hadn't interrupted, "your skills are admirable, but I'm afraid I'm not taking any chances on this one. If Jaden loses here, he'll be expelled from the Duel Academy once and for all, which is why he'll be facing the greatest tag duelists in the world." Thus said, he turned on his heel and strutted off like the vain peacock he was.

The look on Chazz's face was not too far from that of a cat some innocent sap (most likely one of Alexis's dumb-ass friends) shoved in a washing machine and put the settings on cold water, extra rinse. His imaginary tail twitching spastically behind him with his anger, he stalked over to the duel arena, hoping to get a seat where he wouldn't have to conceal so much of his inner debate. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he didn't want Jaden to leave the academy… and it wasn't just because Sora was fond of him.

* * *

><p>"The Tag Duel will begin in just a few moments, and remember, these are test conditions! This is a sudden expulsion match!"<p>

Sora rolled his eyes at the announcer's over-enthusiasm, settling himself beside Chazz and scanning the crowd for Bastion, unable to contain a tightening of his jaw when the Obelisk girl Alexis sat down beside the other Ra, who had accepted that the redhead was allowed to deal with his own seating arrangements for the duel. Noticing where his twin's eyes were going, the ravenet couldn't help but ask "Jealous, Sora?"

The redhead jolted, his silver eyes wide as he refocused on his brother. "N-no," he stuttered, blushing.

_Huh, Sora has a crush on the Ra genius…_ Chazz mused to himself, his fingers tapping against his arms. _Odd, he's never really _liked _anyone since that one boy he dated, Benito Devlin_… "Whatever you say, Sora."

"Send in the accused!" the announcer cried, causing both Princetons to look down towards the arena; no one sat near the Obelisk, the elder's best death glare doing enough to force the others to keep their distance even though no one particularly recognized the redhead with the dark blue jacket (Chazz lent his brother an Obelisk uniform jacket so that no one would figure out he was sitting next to his twin in Ra), "Syrus Truesdale and Jaden Yuki!"

At the sight of the pair, the brunet looking not the least bit concerned for the future that was hanging in the balance, he felt a surge of anger that had him throwing his foot against the seat in front of him, startling his two lackeys but not his twin. Sora knew Chazz had some problems with his temper, most of them a result of his overprotective nature to compensate for the authority figures in their lives not giving a damn about them. "You Slifer slackers," the ravenet hissed, "it should be me taking you out! But I guess as long as someone does it…"

"Chazz!" Sora cried in shock, silver eyes wide. _Could… could I have been wrong about his feelings for Jaden?_

He flushed, looking down and letting his hair cover his pink cheeks. "Sorry," he muttered, his silver eyes focused on his hands. "I'm just really pissed that Crowler wouldn't let men help keep them here, especially since I've heard he hired professionals to take them down."

Sora softened, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "At least you tried," he offered, giving a forlorn smile. "It's better than what I did." _I completely forgot about taking it up with Crowler to be honest… _He shook his head at the memory that popped into his head, that of how it felt to be curled up in Bastion's bed as the slumbering genius draped an arm possessively over his stomach, fighting off a blush. "Still, if what you say is true, this should be interesting." He leaned back in his seat, content to be a spectator for once and trying to ignore the red flashing in the corner of his vision. _I'm not going there today, no I'm not, I'm just going to sit here with my brother and watch his love interest duel and _not _indulge in the fantasy I created when I was five and I had nothing other than Chazz, who was gone all the time!_

It was going to be a _long _duel.

* * *

><p>"Now without further ado, allow me to introduce our guest Tag Team duo!" Crowler announced, his arm raised as two men in kimonos flipped out onto the stage in a stunning display of gymnastics. "The Paradox Brothers!"<p>

Sora sighed. "You might want to look into that transfer," he muttered wryly, talking over the brothers. "With _those _opponents, I'd be surprised if they win."

"Uh, I've never heard of these guys," Jaden commented.

"Me neither," Syrus replied, "Maybe this Tag Match won't be so bad."

"Perhaps," Crowler stated, "After all, they haven't dueled in ages and their last opponent was a child. I believe he went by the name of Yugi something…"

"Hey Chumley! Looks like you're gonna have a whole lot more room in your dorm now, your friends are toast," the ravenet called mockingly to the obese Slifer, regretting the words the instant they fell from his lips. He didn't _want _to be mean to Jaden, but his brothers had a lot of influence in the school, and if they caught wind that he was gay, things wouldn't end well for either Princeton twin.

Since Sora had never been one for listening to the prattle of card effects, he pulled out his earphones, listening to the mechanical tunes of "Want You Gone" instead of the Paradox brothers' introductions. If he wanted to know an effect so badly, he could always look it up on his PDA.

* * *

><p>Sora winced as Gate Guardian took the field, biting his lip. <em>Things aren't looking good… <em>he despaired, looking at across the ring to see Bastion and Alexis conversing closely. His jaw tightened as his silver eyes narrowed, furious at the thought of his friend with the girl Chazz was using as his cover. At the sudden flash of red across his peripheral vision, he closed his eyes tightly, pushing his anger back to a pinprick in the corner of his mind. _A distraction,_ he thought desperately, _I need a distraction. _"Hey Chazz, remember that time when we were little and I accidentally pushed Slade down into a patch of mud in a pig pen at one of those fairground petting zoos?"

The Obelisk chuckled. "What about it?"

"I'm trying to remember… was he about to call me a bitch or a bastard before Jagger fell on top of him and knocked the wind right out of his stomach?"

Chazz laughed at that. "I think it was actually to call you a brat," he corrected, glad to see the cheerful sparkle back in the other's silver eyes. He had never seen Sora so angry before, so the fact that he had pushed aside that outsurge of emotion was a reassuring thought to the elder Princeton twin and he settled back to continue watching the match while keeping an eye on Bastion and Alexis out of the corner of his eye. If there was one thing he would not stand for, it was his younger twin getting hurt when he could prevent it.

"Chazz? You all right?" one of his lackeys, the one with the blue hair, asked, not quite used to the idea of the ravenet Obelisk indulging in expressions of mirth. Like a prey animal, Sora went still beside his brother, hoping that if he made no movements, he would avoid notice. He was wrong, his bright red hair had gotten him noticed from the start, but neither boy commented on the disguised Ra since they were under the impression that Chazz would strangle them with their own intestines if they said anything about it.

* * *

><p>_Kuriiiii!_/

Sora's eyes widened as his head shot up, focusing on Jaden and the little ball of brown fluff with white wings beside him. Even more importantly, Jaden smiled at it and quipped, "I know, I don't think they got it either."

_Could… could he see them too? Might I not be insane like they claimed I was? _The copper-haired Princeton bit his lip, glancing over to where his duel spirit had been earlier only to find the red-cloaked spirit gone. "Figures," he muttered darkly to himself.

"What was that?" Chazz asked, looking over at his twin.

"Nothing," Sora reassured, leaning back against his seat and returning his attention to the duel.

* * *

><p>Drillroid's attack destroyed Defense Wall, which gave Sora reason to cheer even if Chazz snickered. "Those two must've forgotten that Defense Wall automatically intersects any attack," he chortled.<p>

"No way!" Sora protested, eyes gleaming. "Jaden's facedown has to count for _something_, and I bet he's got something up his sleeve!"

* * *

><p>"Nice work wasting your attack there, slacker," Chazz snorted, his own way of appreciating and condescending the move. Sure, it had been impressive, but indeed no more than show, which was something Chazz himself did not condone in a deck.<p>

_Sora grinned at the sight of his card. "I activate the card Emblem of Dragon Destroyer!" he yelled, watching as the fancy gold appeared on the field. "This allows me to add one Buster Blader from my deck or my Graveyard to my hand!" He then smirked. "Now I sacrifice my Luster Dragon and my The Dark: Hex-Sealed Fusion in order to summon him to the field!"_

_Chazz's own smirk grew at the sight of the intimidating warrior. "Nice creature," he complimented. "Such a shame he'll be a waste." He waved his hand, revealing his trap card. "I activate the card Ring of Destruction! This will destroy your Buster Blader and end the duel!"_

_Sora's eyes watered and he tried not to scrub at his eyes, his appearance more like a doll than his twin's own gangly limbs. "Meanie!" he yelled, scampering away throughout the hallways of the large mansion to the table where Slade was working on his homework, the littlest Princeton clambering up into his eldest brother's lap in a search for comfort. "Slade, Chazz is being mean again!"_

_The teen sighed, setting his pencil down but turning his attention to the little redhead. "What did he do _this _time, Sora?"_

_Said redhead pouted. "He told me my Buster Blader was a waste and then used its destruction to make me lose!"_

"_I didn't mean it that way, Sora, honest!" Both boys looked up to see Chazz panting, his mess of hair falling into his silver eyes as he had run after his twin. "I was trying to make you see that if you had used your Fusion Sage and gotten out your Dark Paladin, you would've won!" He had approached during his speech, the two twins now within arms' length when Slade subtly slid the youngest boy into Chazz's embrace, where he happily buried his face in Chazz's collar to try to hide a sniffle as Jagger paused in the doorway from where he'd gotten a glass of water before attempting to finish his geography reading, not wanting to disturb the peaceful scene. No matter what happened, the Princetons were siblings and they _did _love each other, even if they didn't say it aloud._

* * *

><p>As <span>UFOroid<span> took the field, Sora's cell phone went off, the sounds of "Colors" by FLOW accompanying his little yelp at the feel of something vibrating against his thigh. He flashed Chazz an apologetic smile as he fished it from his pocket, climbing the stairs and ducking into a quiet alcove. "Benito!" he hissed, "I thought I told you not to call me on this number!"

He heard laughter on the end, along with the thrum of the bass to some damn club song. "**_Sì, sì, _**_but come on, little _**_guerriero_**_, Mystic said you were a _very _interesting place, and _**_dai_**_, do you really expect me to resist, _**_il mio amor_**_?"_

"Don't call me that!" he growled into the phone, "I'm not yours, and I don't love you anymore!" A thought occurred to him then. "Benito, are you drunk?"

"_Mmmm, _**_forse_**_?"_

"_Maybe_?" the redhead snapped before he sighed, massaging his brow. "Look, Benito, just hang up and go back to your room and sleep this off until you're done with your hangover. You don't want to lose Mystic in the city, now do you?"

"_Mmm, you're right, _**_ma belle_**_. _**_Arrivederci, il mio amor_**_!"_

Sora sighed as he snapped his phone shut. No matter how carefree he sounded, Benito never called him unless there was something important involved. Of course, due to the fact that the Italian was drunk, there was no hope of extracting that information from him until he sobered up, which wasn't likely until the hangover was pounding against the other male's temples.

Tapping a single combat boot against the floor, he decided he'd spend what was left of the duel with Bastion and started off, coming back into the arena to see that the duel was over, obviously to the Slifers' triumph as Jaden and Syrus celebrated delightedly. He watched Chazz sneer and stalk off, his two lackeys running after him, before turning his attention back down towards the arena in time to see Jaden smile at the Paradox brothers and say, "And you guys? Let me just say it was a great honor, and if you ever want a rematch, just holler."

"Well said, Jaden, and I'm sure it will be even better written," the Chancellor stated from the sidelines, making the brunet Slifer pale and freeze. "That's right, I'd like a five-page report. I want to read all about what you learned while dueling the brothers and how it helped you realize that trespassing in the Abandoned Dorm was wrong."

"Aw," Jaden muttered, his face quickly turning into that of a kid who didn't get what he wanted on Christmas morning, "talk about a bummer."

"How about ten pages then?" the man stated cheerfully, "and single spaced too."

"I'll make sure they get it done, Chancellor," Professor Banner assured, Pharaoh letting out a contented meow from his arms.

"Aw, how can I write ten pages? I've never even read that much!" Jaden lamented, turning his back on the teacher, his hands in his hair. After a moment, he turned back around, a strange look on his face as he grumbled. "Ten whole pages, that's practically a book!" Syrus tried to stop the brunet, but he continued in his little fit. "My life is so over." He slumped over. "I don't even know how to spell Paradox Brothers! And do all their parts have to rhyme? Aw, this is gonna take forever!"

Bastion and Alexis were clapping when Sora came in, but he didn't bother to feel the least bit guilty as he swooped in on his fellow Ra. "Come on, you're coming with me!" he grunted, not giving the mathematician time to react before he was yanking him off in the direction of the yellow dorm.

"Hey!" the Brit protested as soon as he managed to figure out what was happening, "Sora! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" The redhead didn't respond, instead merely tightening his grip on the other's sleeve. "Sora!" Bastion desperately thought back on his actions, trying to figure out what was bothering the gamer; he could only think of one. "Sora, are you _jealous_ that I was sitting with Alexis?"

To his surprise, the smaller Ra stopped dead, nearly causing him to run into him as he seemed to be fighting back a blush. He hadn't expected to hit the nail on the head then, but it appeared that his shot in the dark had hit the bulls-eye. "Sora," he murmured softly, making no attempt to pull his arm from the other's grip now, "you do know that there's room in my heart for more than one person, right?"

He heard the younger Ra give a harsh sniffle. "Yeah," he replied roughly, his gaze turned to an innocent patch of grass, "I know." If he saw any of the sparkles on the redhead's cheeks, he said nothing of it, allowing Sora the opportunity to rejoice in the notion that in spite of his behavior, he still held a place in Bastion's heart.

* * *

><p>Okay, Benito is entirely my own design, but honestly, he's pretty fun. He'll also play a large part in the next chapter (so look out, Bastion and Chazz, your position as Sora's MVP is under fire!). However, his Italian goes as follows (and don't quote me on this, I'm not Italian):<p>

Sì- Yes

guerriero- warrior

dai- come on

il mio amor- my love

forse- maybe/perhaps

ma belle- my pretty

Arrivederci- Goodbye (formal)

Bastion: ...

Chazz: *groans* Please, just shoot me now.

Jaden: *bounces up* If you review, we'll give you a picture of Chazz when he was little.

Chazz: HEY, GIVE THOSE BACK! *tries to kill Jaden for taking his pictures from where he'd hid them*

Jaden: GAH! *runs for his life*

Bastion: *is the real one with the pictures* ... You know, these are downright scary. I mean, the idea of Chazz as a small child is downright shocking...

... *is too busy drooling over pictures of younger teenage years to answer*

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	10. E12: Hydrogen plus Oxygen equals H2O Dra

Black and Red

Urf, I am so pissed… I had about a page of this chapter written out when my computer started to die and I couldn't get to my charger because of the wasp in my room (don't ask). As a result, I had to put it in sleep mode, but then it wouldn't wake up, so I had to turn it off. Then, as if to add insult to injury, when my computer finally did come back on, it wouldn't respond after pulling up the recovered version (which was in its full entity), so I had to turn it off again and lose it completely. Point is, I wasn't amused.

Anyway, here's the chapter and please enjoy the early update as I take the extra time to go back and do some serious editing that's a good deal overdue...

The companion story to this is **Gold and Silver**, don't forget to read that too!

* * *

><p>I transcribed this myself for this chapter, so there's nothing stolen from anything other than the legitimate show.<p>

This title is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 12. The English-dub instead uses "Formula for Success".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX otherwise Chazz would've actually won this duel... and his brothers would be rotting in a hole.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Oxygen + Hydrogen = H2O Dragon<p>

"Sora, look out!"

The redhead, having been caught up in his thoughts from where he stood behind home plate, looked up just in time to see the red stitching shooting towards him, letting out a yelp as he tried to dodge it and partially succeeded, managing to take the brunt of the collision across his left cheek rather than his nose. His free hand, the one without the leather glove on it, flew to his face, the fingers loosely covering the angry skin before the Ra who had pitched the ball gently pulled his wrist away, using his thumb to push apart the jaw in order to determine the extent to the damage he'd inflicted, tilting his head this way and that to fully observe the flushed cheek. "Ow," he whimpered, jerking away lightly when Bastion applied some pressure on his jaw but not fully removing himself from the mathematician's grip.

"Sorry," he murmured, removing his hand when he'd come to a conclusion but only to ruffle that copper hair affectionately. "You'll have one knacker of a bruise," he stated, raising his voice so that the others could hear him now, "but you're fine, love."

Sora gave a little pained smile that was little more than just a twitch of his lips. "Kay," he muttered, looking up playfully through the strands of his long hair that Bastion had managed to relocate into his face. Steeling up his courage, he leaned up to sneakily press his lips to the corner of the larger Ra's jaw before he was gone, bouncing off towards the main building. "I'll see you in class, okay?"

Bastion turned a bright red, his hand going up to the crook of his neck where Sora had, in all bluntness, kissed him. _He… he kissed me…_

"Hey Bastion!" Jaden called to the stunned Ra, "you playing or what?"

The genius shook himself, unaware he had been staring at where the gamer had exited for the past several seconds even though the other was already gone. "Yeah," he said, turning back with a confident smirk painted on his face. "I still have to pitch you out, don't I?"

* * *

><p>"I don't belong over there with those losers! Doctor Crowler, tell everyone this is a mistake! Tell them I belong up here!" Chazz's yell brought Sora's attention up from his game, a quick dart of his fingers pausing the movements of the little ant people to prevent a loss while he was distracted.<p>

"What's going on?" the disguised Princeton whispered to Jaden beside him—he didn't have this class with Bastion, so he chose to sit among the Slifers rather than up in the Ras where he never felt he belonged without the mathematician at his side.

Syrus, however, was the one to answer. "Apparently Chazz has to sit over here by us now."

"Oh," Sora murmured, figuring out Chazz's main problem with that. Sure, it may have left him in a better position to protect his twin, but it also would have put him in close quarters with Jaden, which was where the problem lay. _Chazz, you're always so afraid of Slade and Jagger… please, just this once, let _me _worry about them and be with someone who will make you happy…_

"-tomorrow you will duel Bastion Misawa, and if you lose to him as well, you two will switch dorms!"

Sora paled at Crowler's announcement. "No," he whispered, silver eyes wide, "please don't make me choose."

"Ah, you mean… I'd become a… Ra Yellow duelist!" Chazz spluttered in shock, his own silver orbs flickering over to his twin. _I heard you kissed Bastion today… would he still be loyal to you if he moved ahead of you? I can't take that chance; I don't want to watch you break again._

"Yes, very good," Crowler congratulated sarcastically, "now if only you duel as well as you listen." Sora winced at that while Chazz growled, neither of the Princeton twins took to defeat or inadequacy well. The fact that the other students laughed his brother out of class, however, made the redhead let out a snarl as he stood up, slamming his hands down on his desk.

"You assholes!" he roared, silver eyes flashing. "You don't know how good Jaden is, it's not Chazz's fault he lost!"

"Sure sounds like it to me," Crowler snorted, tossing his hair back with a flick of his head. "Useless whelp."

At the word, that damned dreadful word, he too turned on his heel and fled, wanting to be alone. He would attend the duel, yes, but with his brother's pride and his own heart on the line, he did not think he'd be able to support either of the boys, not when he'd lose no matter who won.

* * *

><p>"And you!" Jagger growled, rounding on Sora after scolding Chazz's ear off, "you good-for-nothing brat, your grades are akin to those of a damn Slifer slacker! You don't do anything other than play your damn games all day!"<p>

The redhead flinched, hanging his head but doing nothing to refute the words. "I'll do better," he whispered in an undertone.

"I should hope so," Slade stated, his jaw coming up. "You're free to go, Sora. There's nothing more for you to do here." The Slifer nodded to Chazz, walking out of the Obelisk dorm room and back towards his own. He'd heard the way Bastion was laughing with Jaden and Syrus, he didn't need the other Ra to be happy, not like Sora needed him or Chazz needed the redhead. _I need you, Bastion… but I can't let Chazz be hurt. _His steps faltered and he stood there between the blue and yellow dorms, his copper hair blowing into his face and his silver gaze distant. _For you… I will betray the one I shouldn't… Only for you… All for you…_

* * *

><p>Sora stood to Chazz's side, hiding behind Crowler as he remained there for moral support to the Obelisk. He could feel the disapproving aura of his duel spirit for supporting his brother, but he would not leave Chazz's side out of guilt. He looked up at the sound of Jaden's enraged cry of "Bastion, then he must've been the one who tossed your cards!"<p>

"Pardon?" Crowler asked, pulling back.

"I don't know what he's talking about, Doctor Crowler," the ravenet stated a tad too quickly, silver eyes refusing to meet their mirror counterparts. "I didn't do a thing."

"Oh is that so?" a feminine voice added sarcastically, the Slifers and Ra turning to see Alexis and Zane walk up behind them, the latter with a hand in his pants pocket. "I saw you, Chazz, this morning by the water. You dumped them in and ran off." Everyone gasped except the two Princetons. "I normally wouldn't snitch, but you don't mess with someone's deck."

"Yeah, no joke," Jaden growled, "that's low, even for you."

Sora's eyes widened. _No, Jaden, _he thought desperately, _please don't think so low of my brother, he had no choice. He's a good person, I swear! He doesn't deserve for you to break his heart!_

"Aw, come on," Chazz retorted, trying to hide the hurt in his silver eyes at his crush—or was it a former crush, he didn't even know exactly how he felt for Jaden anymore—slandering him so harshly, "who's to say I wasn't throwing away my own cards? I guess Bastion and I just have similar decks, that's all."

"Liar!"

"No one calls me a liar, and no one calls me a thief!"

"Fine, then you're not," Bastion said, interrupting the little spat between the brunet Slifer and the ravenet Obelisk, "let's just have out duel then, shall we?"

Sora's eyes closed in regret. He had known about the spare decks, which was why he'd dragged his twin along anyway. He ignored the little drama playing out, hopping down off the dueling platform and standing down at his brother's end of the field. He did not meet Bastion's eye, not when he couldn't explain his actions. He didn't meet Bastion's eye once during the duel… that is, until the very last turn.

"You'd better check your work," the Ra duelist declared confidently, "because I've already done all the math."

"No!" Sora cried, his silver eyes wide. "Bastion, please!"

"No," Chazz hissed as water washed over his Infernal Incinerator, dropping its attack, "its attack points!"

"Indeed," Bastion stated confidently, "that's Water Dragon's special ability. You see, when he's out on the field, the attack points of Fire-Attribute and Pyro-Type monsters automatically becomes zero." He paused for a moment as his monster rose, feeling confident that he'd win back Sora's affection and companionship from the conceited Princeton. "Now, Water Dragon, attack! Tidal Blast!"

The serpent spat water down at the two Princeton twins, pushing the ravenet from the field and the redhead to the first few seats of that side of the arena, the latter coughing up water while the former merely surfaced. "A well-played duel, Chazz, but not well enough."

"Pure luck!" Chazz spat, well aware of his twin shakily making his way to his side. "You drew a lucky card and stumbled into the win, that's all!"

"Perhaps," the genius allowed, "but luck favors the prepared, and I was prepared to beat you with a half-dozen other cards as well. Sorry, you would have lost this duel one way or another, but deny it if you want, just like you denied throwing my deck into the ocean."

"Yeah, prove it!" Chazz snarled, instinctively wanting to see legitimate reasons why the Ra believed it was _he _who had destroyed the deck instead of someone else.

"Well, if you insist." He dug around in his pocket, pulling out his Vorse Raider. "Here. A card I fished out with a formula I wrote on it. Now, I suppose you could've written it, but then the math would've probably been wrong, and it's not." He dropped his arm to his side. "Chazz, you stole, you lied, you cheated, you lost. You deserve to be demoted!"

"This can't be," the Obelisk whispered, dropping his head at the sight of the hate in Jaden's brown eyes, unable to bear it.

"No he doesn't!" Sora yelled, hating to see his twin so dejected for something that wasn't his fault. "Chazz is just a good a duelist as you are, Bastion!"

"Sora," the Brit murmured, taking a step back.

"He still threw Bastion's cards into the ocean!" Jaden spat angrily.

"No he didn't!" Sora protested, his silver eyes blazing. "I did it! I was the one who threw your cards in the ocean, Bastion, not Chazz! I'm the dishonest one, not him!"

"Sora," the genius whispered, anguished, "why?"

The redhead looked behind him at Chazz, who gave him a small nod as he got to his feet. He turned back, holding his chin high. "Because he's my twin brother."

* * *

><p>Dun dun dun, the truth's come out!<p>

Bastion: O.O

Jaden: O.O

Chazz: ... I thought I bet Bastion to get his ass away from my little brother...

... You did in the Japanese version, but we don't go by that, now do we? And technically wouldn't it be the other way around?

Bastion: O.O

Chazz: ... Bitch.

Jaden: ... How did an asshole like you end up twins with someone as sweet as Sora?

Chazz: Shut up! *hits Jaden lightly on the head* Review if you want the chance to hit Crowler or my brothers.

*smiles* It's like therapy, only better!

Bastion: O.O

Jaden: What's wrong with him?

Oh, he's just realizing what he's done by beating Chazz.

Chazz: Heheheh, that'll teach you for messing with my little brother!

Jaden: You do realize that Bastion hasn't done anything to Sora...

... Not yet anyway. *evil smile*

Jaden: *sidles away, dragging Bastion along*

*maniacal laughter as flames burn behind her*

Chazz: ... *calmly walks off in the direction Jaden went off to*

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1020/2011


	11. E13&14: Past Regret

Black and Red

Trick or treat! Well, this is my Halloween trick AND treat. I tricked you into not thinking I was gonna update (I mean, I'm very good about doing it at least once a week and it's been a good while since I did anything...), but as a treat, I give you a double update, a deck list for my characters, AND finishing that oneshot I was talking about earlier, **Bleached Red to Dye Black**, which I will admit right now contains mild spoilers for some of the later plot. Either way, you're welcome.

Remember to read the companion story too, **Gold and Silver**!

* * *

><p>All transcribing was done on my own, so no stealing was done other than from actual episodes!<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 13 and 14 (with Chazz out the picture, not a whole lot's gonna be going on until he returns, so I might as well get five episodes out the way; yes, this is a double update since I was gonna do this separately but then decided to split it into two chapters to cut down on length slightly). Its Japanese version translates to "Wild Release! SAL Duel" and"VS Psycho Shocker!", but my own personal chapter title is "Past Regret".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, otherwise Chazz wouldn't have left Duel Academy...

* * *

><p>Chapter 1314: Monkey See, Monkey Duel and A Spirit Summoned or "Past Regret"

Chazz had a locked haversack thrown over his shoulder as he strode down towards the docks, mentally giving his goodbyes. He wanted to tell Bastion not to fuck up his relationship with Sora, to ruffle his brother's copper hair and tell him he forgave him for implicating him because of the Obelisk jacket. More importantly, he wanted to get a hug from Jaden, the brunet bawling for him to stay and clinging as close to him as he possibly could. But he couldn't do any of that. All he could do was walk towards the docks and wish Sora luck in his solitude… only for him to run into someone.

"Hey!" he snapped from the ground, snatching his bag up and putting it over his shoulder again, "watch where you're going, asshole!"

"You're one to talk," a familiar voice retorted, and the Princeton looked up to see the recognizable figure of none other than Sora's ex-boyfriend, Benito Devlin.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned the dice player, eyes narrowed in dislike. Benito had been an optimistic influence on the redhead, but Chazz had never liked the playboy, not wanting his little brother to turn out like that.

The young Devlin glanced over at his duel spirit before returning his aquamarine eyes to Chazz's silver ones. "I wanted to play school for a little while," he answered. The elder Princeton twin never had been able to see Mystic Swordsman, so he wouldn't understand that Mystic had guided him to a spirit hotspot, "and what better place to do so than the very place my dear friend attends?" Noticing the upsurge of emotion in those silver orbs, he raised his hands placatingly. "Relax, I know he's not mine anymore. I didn't come here to pursue him as anything more than a friend."

Chazz examined Benito for a long moment, looking up and down the other boy, before he nodded, continuing his exit. "Room 13, Ra Dorm," he informed. "He'll likely be delighted to see you. And…" he steeled himself, forcing the words from his lips, "tell him I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>"Jaden, it's awful!" Syrus cried, running down the stairs to his friend's seat, "Chazz is gone!"<p>

"And that's awful how?" Sure, he _may _have been a slight sweet on the cocky ravenet, but he was still mad at the Princeton for lying about throwing Bastion's cards in the ocean—yes, Jaden still thought Chazz did it since Alexis had sworn she saw an Obelisk jacket, not a Ra yellow one—and for not telling them that he and Sora were related.

"Well gee, I don't know," Syrus confessed, "because he's your big duel rival?" He paused for a moment, thinking. "Plus, I bet Sora'd be really upset if he couldn't find him, and whether Sora dumped Bastion's cards or not, he's still our friend."

"You're right!" Jaden replied, his brown eyes widening. "I need my competition, and if Sora's related to him, I bet he'd be able to give me a good duel too!"

Syrus resisted the urge to facepalm. "Don't you think we should look for him? I mean, what if he's in trouble and he needs our help?"

Jaden opened his mouth to say that the ravenet would be fine before he stopped, realizing something. _Every time Chazz has taken a beating, Sora's always been at his side, helping him back to his feet, but even then, it's clear he only got up because of his brother… _In his mind, the two Princetons stood together, Sora's back to Chazz's chest as they opposed the world, but then the redhead faded from the picture, making his twin look smaller and far more vulnerable. His heart ached fiercely, but for some reason, he felt like blushing when he pictured himself taking the young Obelisk's side instead. "You're right, we should go look for him."

* * *

><p>"Bastion!" Sora yelled, bursting into Professor Banner's chemist class without a care for whatever education was going on and stomping over to the other Ra's seat, "what the hell did you do to Chazz?"<p>

The Ra, who hadn't been able to interact with the smaller boy since the duel against Chazz because the gamer had been firmly avoiding him, put down his pencil and eagerly turned to his companion. "I don't know what you're talking about, love," he answered calmly, fighting back a smile at finally being able to interact with the other boy. "I haven't seen Chazz since the duel."

He wasn't aware of the moment the blow hit him, only that there was a stinging pain in his cheek. "Asshole!" the redhead yelled, tears gathering in his silver eyes. "Chazz is gone and he's not coming back!"

Bastion couldn't move, too shocked by what had just happened. _Sora… _hit _me._

Luckily for him, Benito's duel spirit had zeroed in on Sora's deck and told the Italian how to find him. "Sora, dear," he said, wrapping his arms around the youngest Princeton, "calm down."

He wouldn't have been able to misunderstand that voice anywhere. "Benito!" he cried, turning around and kissing the boy on both cheeks as the ravenet copied the affection to him. "What're you doing here?"

"Visiting," the Italian answered, not the least bit surprised by the gesture. "Come on, let's go get the stuff Chazz couldn't bring with him, he'll be pissed if it gets thrown out." Locking his blue-green eyes with Bastion's brown ones, he shook his head. _If this boy hurts Sora any more, I'm gonna unleash Mystic on his ass…_

It was the slam of the wooden door of the classroom that unfroze Bastion. "Sora," he whispered, dropping his gaze back down to his paper mournfully. He hadn't meant to hurt him, but from the looks of things, the redhead thoroughly hated him now… and he had every right to.

* * *

><p>"Well children, I wanted to tell you that Chazz is okay," Professor Banner said, causing Jaden to shoot up hopefully.<p>

"That's great news," the brunet cheered, looking more relieved, something his companions were quick to echo. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd been starting to get worried.

The teacher paused sheepishly. "Actually, I was looking for Sora, but ever since the boy blew up in class, no one's been able to find him, so I figured that you two would have a better chance of finding him." He shook his head. "Of course, there is some bad news as well." Jaden gasped, his heart aching again, but thankfully, the man continued. "You see, Pharaoh tracked him to the docks, but when I arrived, he was already leaving on his family's personal yacht."

"Where I imagine he'll be staying until he gets himself back in the right mind," a soft voice said, causing them all to whirl around.

"Sora!" Jaden cried, looking up at the redhead. "I never knew your family had a yacht. Mind if I take it out sometime?"

The Ra rolled his eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around the black leather jacket Chazz had left in his room (the elder Princeton twin had outgrown it a few months back, much to his dismay). "Jaden, the Princetons aren't paupers, but somehow, I don't think Chazz would let me do it."

"If he lets you do it but not me, I'm gonna complain," a new voice added, originating from the black-haired boy who rested his chin on Sora's head. He gave them an easy smile. "Benito Devlin, at your service."

"I'm going back to my room," Sora muttered, shying away. "Later guys."

Professor Banner sighed. "It's such a shame to see him so down," he murmured, stroking Pharaoh. "After all, I'm sure Bastion thoroughly regrets being the one to be Chazz's final duel, but that's no excuse for Sora to take it all out on him."

"Hey!" the tanned Italian growled, "Sora and Chazz were really close! After all, Sora was the only one who knew Chazz actually liked Jaden!"

The brunet's eyes went wide. _Chazz… liked me? _he wondered. _But… he… _His brain gleefully showed him an image of the ravenet, but this time it was a memory, a guilty one. Only now did he notice that the Obelisk had not truly acted as if he had lost until he'd looked at Jaden, an image that left his heart aching like it hadn't ever before. _Chazz may have liked me, but the feeling's all one-sided… right?_

~Time lapse~

Not for the first time in the past several months, Bastion was fishing a card out of the lake. According to Miss Dorothy, the cards had been turning up once every other day while the break had been going on, all of them cards that must've seen a lot of affection in their day. He wondered what duelist would possibly be getting rid of his cards in such a manner, it spoke only of hate, grief, or guilt to throw your own cards into in a lake to ruin them in such a manner, but today that question was answered. The cards sitting in the Ra's hand were a waterlogged copy of Silent Swordsman Level 7. There was only one duelist he knew of on the entire island who used that monster: Sora.

* * *

><p>Benito sighed, leaning his head against the wall as his duel spirit, Mystic Swordsman, patted his shoulder comfortingly. _Be at ease, Benito/_ the swordmaster encouraged gently. _/Sora will come around eventually. He's just not the type for taking loss well, and besides, I've heard that the boy he liked, Bastion Misawa, provided the push that caused Chazz to leave./_

Benito didn't answer his spirit, just sighed and looked at the near-empty common room in the Ra Yellow dorm. To his knowledge, only a small handful of students had remained, the most notable of which were Jaden's group (who were spending it at the Slifer dorms and had promised a festive party to anyone wishing to come over), Zane and his boyfriend (who, aside from occasional sightings with the blond in the bluenet's arms or on his lap in the Obelisk cafeteria, had been practically absent from campus), and the Ra duo of Sora and Bastion (who still had not made up, Benito being used as an unwilling shield by the depressed redhead).

A loud shout had him regaining his feet, throwing open Sora's door to see the boy cowering in the far corner, his duel spirit standing protectively in front of him. The monster relaxed his stance then, striding forward. /_Benito,/ _the spirit greeted with a small bow. _/It is good to see you again, especially with the problems that have been going on ever since Sora began destroying his deck./_

"You've been destroying your deck?" Benito yelped, darting to Sora's side to search for answers in those forlorn silver eyes. "Why?"

"Chazz left me," he whispered, "and Bastion hates me. What's the point of dueling anymore?"

/_And that's the problem,/ _the warrior admitted. /_Because of that, he's raised the ire of the duel spirits in his deck. I could never hate him, he's my spirit partner, but he is still pursued by a great number of angry monsters. I have destroyed as many of them as I could, but there are still four that remain./_

_/And you want us to destroy them, don't you?/ _Mystic Swordsman asked, his wielder keeping a close eye on Sora.

/_Please,/ _he answered. /_I would ask Sora to make peace with them himself, only he has completely shut down. He no longer hears or sees me, and even worse, he refuses to take his medication instead and thus suffers as a result./_

/_Don't worry, Command Knight!/ _Mystic Swordsman reassured, thumping his arm over his chest, /_We won't let you down!/ _He smiled softly. _/I'll even call in a favor to ensure everything works out./_

Command Knight bowed slightly. _/I thank you greatly./_

* * *

><p>Benito followed his duel spirit to the lake, fully trusting in the card to not steer him wrong. It never had before. Indeed, standing there on the sandy bank was the translucent spirit of Sora's former signature card, <span>Buster Blader<span>. Of course, the main reason it had been such a cornerstone of his deck was because Chazz had used a deck of dragons, but the mythical beasts had been discarded in more recent times, leaving the card to be kept only for sentimental reasons that now seemed too painful for the upbeat redhead. "So you are my opponent," the warrior stated. "Fair enough, I shall duel you."

"All right!" the Italian crowed, "it's been a while since I had a good duel!" A glance at his cards to determine what he had was all it took for him to determine he didn't really like his hand. "Well, I think to start out, I'll play the magic card Card of Sanctity! You see, this card lets me remove from play every card on my field or in my hand and draw two more in exchange." He let his cards, Mad Sword Beast, Stealth Bird, The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension, The Fiend Megacyber, and Level Up!, slip back into the blue deck case on his hip, instead pulling a new hand from his deck. Better, but not ideal by any means. "Well, with that done, I think I'll summon out Giant Rat in defense mode and activate my Banner of Courage." He couldn't do anything else at this point since he had no more cards and couldn't attack this turn.

"Very well," the spirit acknowledged, drawing. "I'll start off by summoning Marauding Captain, and I'll use his special effect to summon Command Knight from my hand." The two monsters appeared on the field, though the latter looked thoroughly disappointed to be here. "Now, my Captain, attack!" The warrior sprung forward, cleaving the creature in two.

"All right!" Benito cried, a flicker of his blue eyes to his own duel spirit confirming his choice, "I activate my Giant Rat's special ability and summon another one from my deck to the field in attack mode!"

"Very well, let's just try that again with my Knight!"

Benito took 200 damage from the attack, but he quickly bounced back. "Giant Rat, come on out!" he cried, a little glad the card was so flexible.

"I'll add a card facedown. Turn end!" the warrior declared, conceding his turn.

Benito drew. "Okay, I remove one of the Giant Rats from my Graveyard in order to summon Gigantes!" he yelled, snatching the mentioned card from the slot and moving it to his deck case along with the other cards. "Now, Gigantes, attack Marauding Captain!" The spirit took his first damage of the duel, dropping his Life Points to 3100, but the Italian wasn't done yet. "Now, Giant Rat, destroy Command Knight!" The two monster leapt at each other, their attacks equal and resulting in their ruin. "Luckily for me, I can still use Giant Rat's ability even though it was my own attack, and I chose to summon Mad Sword Beast to the field to attack you directly!"

"Well played," Buster Blader congratulated as his Life Points dropped to 1500, "but you won't triumph. I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted to bring back my Marauding Captain! Now I play the magic card Black Luster Ritual. This means that if I tribute monsters whose total level is equal to eight, which I can without touching my new monster, I can summon Black Luster Soldier from my hand. But that doesn't count as my summon for the turn, so I'll tribute both monsters in order to summon myself to the field!" The warrior appeared in a swirl of his cloak, his body solid. "Now, for my final move, I'll attack your Mad Sword Beast!" The Dinosaur-type monster let out a protesting roar as it burst into pieces, dropping Benito's Life Points to 2400. "Turn end!"

Benito drew and scowled at the card. _Big Bang Shot__… not my best card. It can't help me now… _He threw a glance at Mystic Swordsman helplessly before he announced "I'll just switch Gigantes into defense mode for now."

"Very well," the monster acknowledged. "I'll just destroy your monster myself and then your magic card with my Mystical Space Typhoon. Turn end!"

Mystic Swordsman smiled at the Italian, gesturing for him to draw the card. Obviously it was a good one. "I activate the card Dimension Fusion!" Benito cried, showing the card. "Sure, I'll have to pay 2000 Life Points, but in return, I get to summon all the monsters I have that are removed from play, and I have four. Come on back, Giant Rat, The Fiend Megacyber, Stealth Bird, and Mad Sword Beast!"

The four creatures took the field, their triumphant cries echoing loudly across the forest, but Buster Blader wasn't afraid of losing quite yet. "In case you haven't noticed," he stated, "my attack points are still higher than any of your monsters, no matter how many of them you have."

"True," Benito acknowledged with a smirk, "but that's an easy fix. I equip my Big Bang Shot to my Fiend Megacyber to increase his attack by 400 points, which gives me enough firepower for him to destroy you and my monsters to get rid of what's left of your Life Points!" Indeed, the monsters sprang forward to do as he'd said, delighted to obey their wielder, but Benito turned to his spirit partner. "Come on, Mystic," he stated, "let's go back to the dorm. I've had enough dueling for a month."

The swordsman chuckled but fell in step behind his partner, not at all minding the lack of dueling he experienced at the duelist's side. Sure, Sora may participate in more duels, but he wouldn't trade partners for anything, not when Benito was so much more emotionally stable than the young Princeton was.

* * *

><p>Bastion couldn't contain himself any longer. He simply <em>had <em>to see Sora and he had to do it _now_. Throwing his covers off himself, he got out of the bed where he'd been tossing and turning while trying to sleep for the past couple of hours and strode out of his room, letting out a soft hiss at the coldness of the floor against his bare foot. Biting his lip as he stood before the door, his hand rested softly on the brass doorknob and warming it as he debated whether to enter the room and risk Sora's ire or to remain where he was and go another day without seeing the beguiling redhead. His calculations warned him that the likelihood of him receiving another slap was almost certain, yet he still couldn't contain the want to endure the hit when it came and see his fellow Ra anyway.

The mathematician heaved a sigh. He wanted to resist Sora, but for some reason, the task was impossible. His hand, almost of its own volition, pressed down on the handle, pushing open the door and casting a stream of light into the room where it fell over the beautiful sleeping form of the redhead curled up underneath his covers in a fetal position, head tucking down towards his chest fearfully, the area around his closed silver eyes red and puffy from shed tears. "Sora," the Brit whispered, guilt clenching his heart for being partially responsible for the boy's current state.

The door slammed behind him. "So you are the one he cried so feverantly over," an unfamiliar voice stated, causing Bastion to whirl around to the impossible vision of the translucent form of the very card that weighed down his pocket, Silent Swordsman Level 7. "Perhaps a duel would enlighten me as to why he chose you over his gift."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bastion replied, pulling his Fire deck from its case and snatching the sash and mount that lay abandoned on Sora's desk with a fine layer of dust overtop, "but if it's a duel you want, then fine." He slipped the deck into its slot, buttoning his jacket up so that the sash would fit more comfortably over his chest and absently wondering if Sora would have been pleased to know he'd chosen his Fire deck to honor the Princeton's favorite card. He drew, claiming the first turn for himself. "I'll summon UFO Turtle in defense mode and place one card facedown."

"Draw!" the swordsman cried, nodding. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode. Now, Gearfried, attack that turtle!"

Bastion smirked. "Thanks for that, by destroying UFO Turtle and sending him to the Graveyard, you allow me to summon one Fire-attribute monster with 1500 attack points or less, and I choose Ultimate Baseball Kid!" The boy appeared on the field, his usual attack of 500 doubling. "Oh yes, and now that he's on the field, his special ability takes effect in that he gains 500 attack for every Fire-attribute monster on the field."

"As if it matters," the warrior scoffed. "You aren't good enough to be by his side, and I'll prove it in this duel! Turn end!"

"Sora's mine!" Bastion growled, drawing. "I summon out Little Chimera in attack mode, and in addition to my Ultimate Baseball Kid gaining 500 attack points for there being another Fire monster on the field, Little Chimera's special ability gives every Fire-attribute monster another 500 points, which my Baseball Kid will be putting to use on your Knight and my Chimera on your Life Points." The two duel monster responded, the boy hitting a flaming baseball directly into the face of the armored creature in a manner that reminded him rather painfully of how the same thing had happened to Sora and the feline leaping at the warrior's face, dropping the Life Points of the spirit to only 2800. "Now, for my final move, I activate the spell Limit Level – Area B! This prevents any four-star or higher monster from being in attack mode!"

"A good card," Silent Swordsman complimented, "but not for this deck! I summon Silent Swordsman Level 3 to the field, which makes him the perfect target for my Level Up! to turn him into his five-star form, but as if that wasn't bad enough for you, I think I'll play another Level Up! from my hand to bring out myself!" The monster fully materialized then, his sword resting on his shoulder before he threw a smaller version straight into the Level Limit card as part of his special effect, one he knew he didn't have to explain since Bastion had been able to see it used firsthand before. "Now, I think I'll just destroy that Baseball Kid for throwing a ball in my face!" he yelled, cleaving the monster in two and Bastion's Life Points down to 3200. "I'll place one card facedown. Turn end!"

"I think I'll change Little Chimera to defense mode, but I'll summon out Raging Flame Sprite in attack mode and use its special ability to attack you directly!" The little boy sprang forward, smiting the swordsman with his staff before darting back, having dropped the other's Life Points to 2200. "I'll add another facedown and end my turn."

"I summon out Command Knight!" the swordsman cried, bringing forward the caped soldier who looked thoroughly miserable there on the field, his gaze fixated on Sora hungrily, drinking in the boy's appearance before traveling to Bastion, eyes flickering over the way the boy handled the awkward setup of Sora's Duel Disk and Duel Sash with relative confidence. "Now, I'll destroy your little sprite myself and the kitty with my Knight, who not only causes both he and myself to gain 500 attack for being Warrior-type monsters but also benefits from an additional 500 attack from your Little Chimera's special ability as well." The warrior sprung forward, his broadsword slicing through the fairy easily and knocking the Brit's Life Points down to 2500 as the elegant knight's attack cut down the final monster in front of him. "Turn end!"

The Ra student threw a glance over at Sora, brown eyes taking solace in the slumbering gamer as he drew before they widened. _What is this card doing in here? I never had anything like this in my deck before and I sure as hell didn't put it there myself! _He glanced at the field. _Still, it couldn't have come at a better time… _"I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4 in attack mode!" he cried, watching as the dragon appeared with a screech, its silver wings flexing intimidatingly as it placed itself protectively in front of the two students. "Now, I use my card Call of the Haunted to bring back Ultimate Baseball Kid and chain my Raigeki Break to it in order to destroy you!" As the monster stumbled back into its translucent form, the kid destroyed the Command Knight, who had a small smile on his face as he disappeared. "Now, Horus, end this!" The dragon screeched and obeyed, throwing a fireball to obliterate the last 200 Life Points of his opponent. Feeling tired, Bastion shrugged off the dueling equipment and crawled in beside Sora, cuddling up to the boy's back and falling into a more comfortable sleep than he'd had in _weeks_.

* * *

><p>Jaden: And onto the next chapter!<p>

Chazz: *grumbles* Why didn't I show up in this chapter? I'm the star of the show!

Bastion: ...

Review please!

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><p>Last edited: 1031/2011


	12. E15,16,&17: Present in Debt

Black and Red

Like I already said, this is a double update, the next "chapter" is actually a deck list, go read **Bleached Red to Dye Black**, the oneshot, and **Gold and Silver**, the companion story.

* * *

><p>Once again, I steal nothing but the episode's dialogue...<p>

This the translation of the Japanese titles for Episodes 15, 16, and 17 (which is basically the second half of this double update). The English-dub instead uses "Courting Alexis", "The Duel Giant", and "Nature of the Draw". I, however, dub this chapter "Present in Debt".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, otherwise there wouldn't be nearly as much filler...

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><p>Chapter 1516/17: Tennis Duel of Youth; King Goblin of the Dark Night; and Draw! Draw! Draw!, or "Present in Debt"

_**You, the kin of the Dragon Tamer, hold the hope of Dark Fire in your hands…**_

_Chazz looked around, unnerved by the voice that had disturbed the time he could spend with a Jaden that didn't hate him (or at least strongly dislike, the brunet seemed to be the kind of person who couldn't possibly hate somehow no matter how much they deserved it, not that he felt he did, he had only been defending his twin brother and thus felt he had nothing to apologize for). "Who's there?" he called, pulling Jaden behind him protectively, his ego lifting slightly when the Slifer clung to the back of his Obelisk jacket. "This isn't funny!"_

_**You, kin of the Dragon Tamer, must travel to the lands of the six isles, the exiled land of Dark Fire.**_

"_I'll do no such thing!" the ravenet declared hotly._

_**You, kin of the Dragon Tamer, shall defeat each of the aspects of Dark Fire and seize the power for yourself until the Dragon Tamer can reclaim it.**_

"_You're crazy!" Chazz yelled. "I don't know any dragon tamers or what that dark fire you speak of even is!"_

_**Dark Fire has chosen you as a holder until the Dragon Tamer rejoins your company; do not make me forget endowing you with my power, Chazz Princeton.**_

* * *

><p>Sora picked up the razor, turning the blade around in his hand, his fingers skillfully managing to avoid pricking himself as his silver eyes swept over the glittering expanse. Looking down at his chest, he could see how scrawny he was, his ribs easily distinguishable since they stood out so starkly, and he felt a sudden wave of disgust for himself. No one wanted him and no one ever would. A sharp lance of pain had him redirecting his eyes back to his fingers, down which dripping sliver-like trails of blood, but that wasn't what he had wanted. He wanted to feel that clearing sensation on a larger scale. He raised the blade to his arm before pausing, the edge pressing into his flesh but not quite managing to puncture the skin with the pressure he was applying. If he was going to cut himself, why shouldn't he do it on his chest? It wasn't as if he needed to keep himself whole to duel anymore. But his razor blade was too small for such a momentous task…<p>

Almost without his permission, his fist shot forward, shattering the mirror into hundreds of falling crystals. Out of the multitude of choices, he took a prolonged moment to discern which were the sharpest before selecting the largest of their number and slashing at his chest. He counted carefully the number of strokes he gave himself: one, two, three, four, five—_he was such a failure_—six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen—_by Kami, why couldn't he just end it_?—fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty—_because he was a coward, that's why_—twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six—_he certainly didn't deserve to live_—twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six—_who would ever love something as broken as he was_?—thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty—_He wanted to die_—forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five—_would the end ever come_?—forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one—_no, he didn't deserve this ease_—fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four—_Did anyone care_?—fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight—_Kami, it hurt_—fifty-nine—_**useless**_—sixty.

* * *

><p>Jaden closed his eyes, finding the same face that usually haunted him came easily to the back of his eyelids. <em>Chazz… <em>he thought, unaware the bare hints of a smile ghosted over his lips, _I bet it'd amuse you to know I'm getting such a workout… or would you be here beside me? I know you'dve done it for Sora without a second thought… but if you were truly against putting me in a tight spot, you wouldn't have dueled me that second time… _He sighed, shaking his head. There was no point in wondering about what would have happened, the Obelisk wasn't here and that was that. And yet, he still couldn't contain a small pain of jealousy when he saw Sora walk onto the tennis court, the Ra buried in a familiar dark blue blazer and sneaking greedy inhales when he thought no one was looking. Of course, he couldn't get away with being so thoughtful and quiet, people would think something was wrong, and besides, he owed it to Chazz to keep a close eye on his twin brother.

"Hey Sora!" he said, bouncing over, "what's fiancé mean?"

The redhead looked at him, blinking. "Why do you want to know, Jaden?" he asked in a monotone, silver eyes disturbingly empty.

_That's it! We have to get him back with Bastion ASAP before he tries to kill himself! Chazz'll mop the floor with our corpses if he finds out his brother died and we didn't do anything to stop it! _He pouted, clinging onto the gamer's sleeve. "Because Alexis won't tell me, and neither will Syrus and the girls, and I _know _they know what it means, they're just not telling me to be mean!" A subtle inhale of the scent infused into the jacket yielded a gentle musky kind of smell, one that was so much unlike Sora's citrusy scent that it could have only belonged to Chazz, and Jaden found his mouth watering slightly at the smell, having to force down the want to bury his face in the jacket just to feel a little closer to the source.

Sora sighed. "It's a term used to describe a male in a romantic relationship where they've agreed to marry each other and one has given the other an engagement ring."

Jaden's brown eyes widened. "Alexis!" he yelled, looking flustered and fighting back a blush. "_Fiancé _doesn't mean 'friend' and I don't want be your fiancé if that's what it means! That was a dirty trick to play!"

"But would you have been Chazz's fiancé?" the redhead asked, cocking his head to the side and blinking cutely, only to receive a startled splutter from Jaden before he was chasing the redhead, yelling well-intentioned exclamations at the top of his lungs. Still though, no one noticed that he hadn't denied the concept of Sora's question outright, merely the question itself and the manner in which it had been presented to him, or that is, no one save the Princeton himself. _Chazz, _he thought as he ran, his silver eyes distant as he thought of his missing brother, _you need to come back… I need you… and besides, I think you have a chance with Jaden, one you didn't have before. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, but the problem with that is that it might make Jaden's fonder, but it makes mine hurt all the more. Come home, Chazz, come home…_

~Time skip~

Bastion forlornly gazed across the Duel Arena at Sora, the redhead sitting there with his legs pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on his knees, looking like the smallest person in the world. He longed to pet that long copper hair and assure the boy that everything would be all right, to insist upon helping his fellow Ra make a new dueling deck… and, strangely, to lift that chin up with his fingers and then press their lips together. Odd. And odder still, in spite of all the confidence he had, he couldn't work up the nerve to go over to the grieving—honestly, there was no other word for what the boy was doing other than that—Princeton. "A classic case of stage fright," he grumbled, crossing his arms, not intending for anyone to reply to him.

"Hey Bastion," Syrus chirped, making him aware of the three Slifer's presence. Dammit, now he had to cover his tracks.

"The boy has tremendous skill but he hasn't yet been able to handle the pressure of dueling in public like this," he stated, figuring that, since it was Brier dueling, his words couldn't be too far off the mark. _Maybe Jaden will be able to tell me something about Sora… or at least, Syrus perhaps, Sora'd likely be just as pissed at Jaden since he was harsh on Chazz to. _"So, what's the crew up to these days?"

"We're looking for a giant!" Syrus chirped.

"A giant?" he parroted, mentally cursing. He'd been hoping for some news on Sora, he was really worried about the boy.

"Yeah, you know, the one who's been beating all the Obelisks."

His eyes narrowed. One of the few things he _had _learned about Sora's activities the past few weeks was that the redhead had been the target of that very giant, mistaken as an Obelisk because of Chazz's coat and forced to lose the one card he had left, his Command Knight. "Ah yes, I've heard about this titan."

"Oooh," Jaden murmured, looking thoughtful as his gaze turned to Brier's friend who stood by his side after the duel, "Hey, speaking of, check it out."

"Seriously," Syrus agreed, "I mean, just look at the size of that guy!"

"Who, Beauregard?" Bastion asked, once again holding back the urge to curse as he was forced yet again to redirect his gaze from Sora. "Please, he's no duel giant."

"What are you talking about?" Syrus protested, "He's gigantic!"

He laughed, not because he was legitimately amused by the conversation but because Sora, upon having his Italian friend plop himself on his lap, pushed the other boy to the ground, his arms crossed and bottom lip pushed out slightly in a cute pout as he tried to imitate his twin's death glare to no real avail. "But he's no duelist, Sy. He's at the Academy studying to design games, not play them. I know him; he can hardly duel."

Across the room, Benito tried leaping on Sora again, but the redhead brought his combat boot up and rested it on his chest, using the leverage to keep his friend from him. To the mathematician's surprise, the gamer looked up at him, his silver eyes widening as his resolve faltered, sending Benito toppling to the seat beside him, before he turned away, stalking off. The Italian, confused, glanced up in the direction that his friend had been looking before he'd lost it, stiffening at the sight of the Ra and narrowing blue-green eyes at him in an idle threat prior to darting off after his friend. Benito would not stand for Sora being hurt… but what he didn't understand was that neither would Bastion.

* * *

><p>"<em>Chazz! Chazz!"<em>

_The ravenet turned around at the sound of his name only to see Jaden attempt to skid to a stop in front of him, but the Slifer had overestimated the distance and his braking abilities and thus actually ran into the Obelisk, sending them both toppling to the ground. The boy groaned, silver eyes closed in an attempt to fight off the pounding in his head. "Thanks for that, slacker," he grumbled, not meaning a word of the sarcasm._

_He knew without even looking that Jaden was pouting. "Hey, it's not like I _meant _to knock us both over."_

_A sudden warmth on his chest and underneath his chin was rather unexpected. "Jaden, what are you doing?" he asked curiously. He didn't receive an answer, the soft huffing of breath across his Adam's apple doing enough to tell him that the brunet had fallen asleep. A fond smile fell over his face as he pushed himself upright, careful to keep his cargo nestled in his arms. "Stupid slacker," he murmured fondly, not meaning a word of it._

_**You, kin of the Dragon Tamer, must release the first aspect of Dark Fire. **_

"_Not you again!" the ravenet yelled. "Listen, is it really so much to ask for some quality time with a Jaden who _doesn't _hate me?" The voice was quiet. "I thought so," he sighed, shaking his head._

_**You, kin of the Dragon Tamer, are destined for greater things than dream relations with the Embodiment of Innocence as the holder of Dark Fire.**_

"_I'm not even going to pretend I understood a word of that."_

_**You, kin of the Dragon Tamer, shall be the carrier of Dark Fire.**_

"_Nope," Chazz stated, shrugging, "still not getting it."_

_**You are the kin of the Dragon Tamer, the Protector of Love, the courier of Dark Fire, and the Lover of Innocence; that is your destiny and don't let anyone or anything else convince you otherwise, for if you are not strong in your beliefs and actions, the others around you will fall all the easier.**_

* * *

><p>Chazz let out a curse as he fell out of bed, the result of a particularly fierce wave washing over the boat. Groaning as he sat up, he got to his feet just in time for a large jolt to overcome the ship, tossing him right back onto the floor again. Grumbling out yet more experlatives—normal teens would have dreamed of having sex, but <em>nooooo<em>, he had to have dreams where he argued with a mysterious voice over whether or not he could spend his own dream time interacting with his crush—he stumbled to his feet, bracing himself on the wall only to realize that there was no more uncertain feel underneath his boots, almost as if he'd hit land. His brow furrowing in confusion, he darted out of the cabin to see that his suspicions were right.

The front of his bow was hopelessly embedded in the sandy cove of a beach, the waves only lapping at the very back end of the craft. Tropical birds let out shrill cries of alarm as he jumped down to the sand, giving a cursory inspection for damage he was relieved not to find. He couldn't afford to get stranded on an island, deserted or not, not when he had Sora waiting for him back at Duel Academy, never mind a certain adorable brunet he had every intention of wooing as his own.

A loud roar shook the ground beneath him, making him pale and take a step back. "What was that?" he muttered, silver eyes wide. Another roar ripped through the air, this one layered with a pained tone that had him, in spite of his better judgment and common sense, wandering off into the underbrush in the general direction he thought the sound had originated from.

To his surprise, the source lay in a large silver dragon that was tangled up in the brush, screeching loudly as it struggled and got itself in even more of a snarl. "Stop it, stop it!" Chazz growled, covering his ears, but the creature just turned to him and let out a sound akin to the scraping of metal against metal, the one that would send an unwelcome chill down the ravenet's back and reflexively caused a metallic taste to well up in his mouth. "Fine, fine, I'll let you go, just stop doing that!"

The drake stilled, watching his every movement warily as he pulled off the mess of undergrowth. The instant it was free, it screeched in his face, hopping up and gliding down to the beach. "Hey!" Chazz protested, chasing after it only to find the creature had nudged his boat into the path of the rising tide before it snatched up the back of his jacket, plucking him from the sand and dropping him unceremoniously to the deck of the boat, a flutter of fine silver feathers accompanying its departure.

Wanting something to legitimize his insane story, the Obelisk leaned over the bow perilously, snatching the drifting silver feather where it skated through the air, but when he opened his fist, he was surprised to see a card nestled in his hand rather than the feather he'd grabbed. Cursing his luck that he would manage to grab a blank card, he slipped it into a little waterproof pouch that hung around his neck, a picture of he and Sora at a rock concert and an image he'd taken of Jaden on the sly when the brunet, or the teachers for that matter, hadn't been looking, the Slifer mid-laugh as he was turning towards the camera, chocolate eyes dancing. The two pictures were his most prized possessions and he wouldn't give them up for anything.

~Time lapse~

Bastion did all the math, and he was certain that today his work would not be in vain. He was certain that he would obtain the "Eggwich" so many in Duel Academy would attempt to "draw" every day, and in doing so, he would present it as a gift to Sora in the hopes of regaining the Princeton's favor. It was a foolproof plan.

"Sora," he murmured, approaching the redhead, "I got you this."

Silver eyes blinked absently. "Bastion," he murmured, "don't you understand? You've moved on, and you don't need to feel so guilty. I don't _need _you anymore."

"I'm not doing this out of some sense of guilt!" the genius protested. "I honestly desire your company, why is that so hard for you to understand, Sora?"

"Because, Bastion," the Princeton continued, reaching into his pocket, "I've learned how to cope on my own."

"Sora, I don't care that you're a Princeton!" he yelled, for once not caring if everyone was staring at them. "I don't care if Chazz _is _your brother and even if I _did _defeat Jaden, I would have stayed in Ra for _you_!"

The gamer got to his feet and pulled out a bottle of pills, shaking out a good number of them before popping them in his mouth dry and turning his back on his former friend. "But the thing is, Bastion, I do."

* * *

><p>NOOOOO, COME BACK CHAZZ, EVERYONE AT DUEL ACADEMY NEEDS YOU!<p>

Jaden: Yeah, I'm failing my classes!

Bastion: ... I'm getting rejected by your brother...

Chazz: *falls over laughing*

Review!

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1031/2011


	13. Deck List!

In case anyone was wondering, yes I do have specific deck recipies for my characters and for each version. In fact, I'm going to include the ones which have appeared so far and add to it when the situation calls for it (trust me, there WILL be modifications). You don't have to look at this if you aren't curious, but if you are, please feel free and keep an eye out for all later call-outs to this page. Also, any cards in parentheses are ones that were in the deck but currently have been removed.

* * *

><p>Sora-<p>

Warrior:  
>Effect Monsters-<br>Buster Blader  
>Command Knight x3<br>Gearfried the Iron Knight x2  
>Gilford the Lightning<br>Little-Winguard x2  
>Marauding Captain x3<br>Mysterious Puppeteer x2  
>Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke<br>Shining Angel x3  
>Silent Swordsman LV 3 x3<br>Silent Swordsman LV 5 x3  
>Silent Swordsman LV 7 x2<br>Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight  
>(The Dark - Hex-Sealed Fusion)<p>

Ritual Monsters-  
>Black Luster Solider x2<p>

Fusion Monsters-  
>(Dark Paladin x2)<p>

Spells-  
>Black Luster Ritual x2<br>Emblem of Dragon Destroyer x2  
>(Fusion Sage x2)<br>Level Up! x2  
>(Mystical Space Typhoon)<br>(Polymerization x2)  
>Swords of Revealing Light<br>The Warrior Returning Alive x2

Traps-  
>Call of the Haunted<br>Kunai with Chain x2  
>Negate Attack x2<br>Sakuretsu Armor  
>Spirit Barrier x2<br>Trap Hole x3

* * *

><p>Benito-<p>

Vanishing Mystic:  
>Effect Monsters-<br>Giant Rat x3  
>Gigantes x3<br>Mad Sword Beast x2  
>Mystic Swordsman Level 2 x3<br>Mystic Swordsman Level 4 x3  
>Mystic Swordsman Level 6 x3<br>Stealth Bird x2  
>Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight<br>The Fiend Megacyber

Spells-  
>Banner of Courage x2<br>Big Bang Shot x3  
>Card of Sanctity x3<br>Dimension Fusion x3  
>Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade Inferno Tempest<br>Level Down! x2  
>Level Modulation x3<br>Level Up! x3  
>Soul Absorption x3<br>Soul Release x3  
>Swords of Concealling Light x3<br>The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension x2

Traps-  
>Final Attack Orders x2<p>

* * *

><p>Ja ne!<p> 


	14. E18&19: Future Unmet

Black and Red

This is where the stories are going to take a major split. This is going to be a really busy chapter since it's three episodes, mainly because I'm planning on rushing through the episode with Blair, which leaves plenty of time for Jaden vs Bastion. Still, it's worth it for the cuteness!

Also, don't forget to read the oneshots and companion story **Gold and Silver**!

One final note: For those of you who read **Broken Halo**, the poll over its remastering is going to be taken down when the next update goes up, so if you haven't voted, do it now while you have the chance!

* * *

><p>I did all the transcribing for this chapter myself, so go me!<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 18 and 19. Its Japanese version translates to "VS Yugi's Deck (Part 1)" and "VS Yugi's Deck (Part 2)", but my own title for this is "Future Unmet"

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX otherwise I would have killed Dimitri off before he even got his own episode.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1819: The King of the Copycats, Parts One and Two, or "Future Unmet"

Chazz rested his crossed wrists on the railing up by the bow of the ship, staring out into the distance where he guessed Duel Academy roughly was. _Sora… _he thought, _don't worry, I'm coming back soon. I just need to make sure I can beat that yellowbelly to keep him in line so he doesn't leave you… _"Jaden," he whispered, turning his face upwards and letting the breeze caress his hair, sending his spikes dancing wildly about his head, "are you thinking about me?" His question was greeted by the movement of the water and he sighed, closing his silver eyes. "Yeah, you really aren't the type to let something like this bug you for too long," he muttered, "but _I_ still dream about you… you Slifer slacker."

A familiar loud screech caught his attention, causing his eyes to fly open. "Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me," he grumbled, but sure enough, it was the silver dragon again, albeit a good bit larger, tangled up in a mess of netting down in the water. It turned towards him, revealing a more pronounced mouth along with much more developed wings, and screeched, its claws struggling underneath it and getting all the more tangled for its efforts. "Damn dragons," the ravenet grumbled, peeling off his Obelisk jacket and the black turtleneck underneath it before he removed his black leather boots and socks, "can't even use their claws to cut their bindings without me to untangle them first." He dug around in the pocket of his jacket, palming the object of his search before turning back to his task.

The dragon screeched at him again, right in his face when he jumped over the side of the bow to work off the net. "Deep-sea fishing," he noted, scanning the rough hemp critically. "It'll be hard to get these off." The creature opened its silver muzzle, but he beat it to the punch, ducking under the water to set to work pulling off what he could with his fingers and cutting what he couldn't with the Swiss army knife from his pocket.

As soon as it was free, the dragon heaved itself up out of the water in a flurry of droplets, shaking the liquid from its feathers before snatching its rescuer up in its claws, depositing the boy onto his boat once more. As Chazz coughed on the deck, looking rather like a drowned cat with most of his hair flopping over his eyes now, he glanced up to see another fluttering feather in front of his face. He snatched it, shoving it into his pouch and turning his attention to drying himself off with the sun. There was no doubt in his mind that this rescue had given him yet _another _blank card…

* * *

><p>Bastion waited while the others dispersed, heckling poor Dimitri as they went, but he refrained from commenting. Sure, he may not have been fond of the boy since he used someone else's deck rather than his own, but having seen firsthand what that sort of thing could do to a person, he held his tongue in check and tried to be civil to his fellow Ra. "Well then," he said, giving the boy a smile after he'd glanced around to see only Jaden and Syrus remaining, "I think that's about the worst of it."<p>

"Sure," Dimitri spat, getting to his feet, "until the next time I lose! Well, I've had it!" He ran off, and for a moment, Bastion could have sworn he saw red hair rather than the spikes did.

"Hey," a voice said from behind him, and he turned to see Benito standing there, his arms behind his head, "you're Bastion Misawa, aren't you?" The Italian didn't wait for an answer, instead presenting his hand. "I don't believe we've officially met, I'm Benito Devlin. I've heard a lot about you from… Sora."

The genius's face fell. "Oh."

"Don't worry," Benito assured, "it wasn't all bad." The Mystic Swordsman wielder looked content in his role to meet with the Ra. "In fact, I want you to get back together with him."

Bastion's brown eyes widened. "What?"

"You're a good influence on him," the Devlin admitted, "far better than I could ever be, which is why I want you to take him in to see Yugi's deck tonight."

It would be a risk… but the Misawa was willing to do anything to get the Princeton back. "If you can get him," he promised, jaw firm.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sora?" <em>

_The redhead looked up at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, an easy smile adorning his face as he reached up to trace the tanned features of his seme. "Bastion," he murmured, chuckling softly when the Brit pressed a sneaky kiss to his palm._

"_Happy anniversary, love," the genius whispered, careful to keep things just between them two before he gently pulled his smaller uke into his arms._

_The gamer purred when his lover leaned down to kiss him sweetly, his tongue caressing every inch of the Princeton's mouth, his hands fisting in raven hair as the very corners of his lips perked up in a slight smile._

Of course, that all came to an abrupt end when he was abruptly awoken with a touch to his arm, causing his restless silver eyes to open and focus upon Benito's blue-green orbs. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly, tone empty of emotion.

"You promised you'd let me choose what you did for one night," he reminded the redhead, watching as the Princeton's brow furrowed with the attempt to remember such a conversation. "You know, back that one time in Venice?"

"I recollect," the gamer admitted finally, "although vaguely due to the fact that you got me drunk that night and the most poignant memory of that trip was Chazz dragging me to the airport to leave because he figured out I was hungover the next morning."

"Anyway, because of that incident," the Italian continued, "I never did manage to collect my debt."

"And your point is?"

"I want you to take Bastion to go see Yugi's deck tonight."

Sora stiffened harshly. "No."

"But Sora-"

"But nothing!" Silver eyes were alight with a fire and passion he hadn't seen in a very long time. "I will not accompany Bastion on a fool's errand to get myself expelled from this school."

"And if it's not a fool's errand?" Benito pleaded, using his big blue-green eyes to get him what he wanted.

"Fine," Sora sighed, losing animation as quickly as he gained it, "I'll go."

"Good," the Italian grinned, pulling the redhead to the door. "I already promised Bastion he could take you." He yanked the door open, Mystic Swordsman having already alerted him of the genius' presence, and shoved the slender boy out the door.

Sora looked up, his silver eyes gleaming softly in the moonlight as he realized Bastion was holding him tightly to prevent him from falling. "Bastion," he breathed, his lips moving mere inches from the mathematician's, but just as the Brit began to lean in, Sora pulled away. "Are we going to see Yugi's deck or not?" he asked softly, fiery curtain of hair coming between them to hide his face from view.

Bastion smiled, forcing back the slight pang in his heart from being denied… something. He couldn't place what it was for the life of him, but he _did _know he'd just lost the chance for it right now. "Yeah," he murmured, leading the way.

* * *

><p>"Oh! Sora! Bastion!" Jaden cried, stopping as soon as he saw the two Ras in the main building, the former tensing at the call of his name while the latter just grinned sheepishly at being caught.<p>

"Jaden," the genius greeted, reaching out to capture the redhead's hand in preparation for the prevention of a possible escape attempt. He chuckled as the other two Slifers caught up, putting his free hand on his hip. "Fancy meeting you here," he stated, "taking a sneak peak at the deck?"

"I guess great minds think alike," Jaden pronounced with a shrug.

"Either that or disturbed ones," Sora muttered under his breath.

Jaden sighed, pouting rather cutely. "You know, I'm starting to wonder whose personality influences whose, Chazz's or yours."

"Jaden, shut up," Sora said, head turning as they all heard a scream.

"Didja hear that?" the brunet Slifer asked.

"Sure did," Syrus replied hurriedly.

"Someone's in trouble," Chumely offered in confirmation.

"Let's go help her!" Bastion cried, joining Jaden in running into the hall.

"Watch as it turns out to be Doctor Crowler," the Princeton snickered, following at his own pace and howling with laughter when he found out he was right, though he still took his place at Bastion's side.

"Let's get Chancellor Sheppard!" Jaden cried, turning around.

"Let's not and say we did," Sora commented lazily, tugging the Slifer to a stop via the red jacket sleeve and restraining his fellow Ra by the hand, just managing to get them out of the way of the teacher's flying tackle.

"Hey, what gives?" the perky brunet asked confusedly.

"I know this looks bad," the effeminate blond began, "but believe me, I didn't steal the deck!"

"He has a point," Sora stated. "After all, the only one of us here without a deck would be myself, but I couldn't have taken it since I just got here and have a solid alibi in that I've been with either Bastion or Benito the entire time and thus had no opportunity to steal it myself. Sure, Doctor Crowler might have stolen it to get Yugi's deck for himself, but why would he do it if it was only going to be traced right back to him since he's the one in charge of the exhibit?" The gamer shrugged. "Besides, I'm fairly certain he'd have the key, so why would he bother breaking the glass?"

"Then who did?" Bastion asked.

"You were the only one here, Doctor Crowler," Chumley continued the argument.

"Standing right next to the case." Syrus was just as convinced of the teacher's guilt.

"Then search me, please!" he declared. "Sora has the right idea, but if that's what'll convince you, then go ahead, go ahead!"

Silence reigned in the room while the skeptics thought about it, Bastion waiting on the Slifers' decisions since he'd seen the logic in his fellow Ra's conjecture. "You know," Jaden murmured slowly, "it could be because I don't wanna search him"—_mainly because I feel it would be an insult to Chazz's former rank to accuse an Obelisk of stooping so low without investigating a few other avenues first_—"but I believe what Doctor Crowler is saying."

The teacher sighed in relief. "Yes, yes, you're not so dim after all!"

"Please," Sora scoffed, his attitude tonight far more akin to his brother rather than his usual temperament, likely a side effect of all the medication he'd been taking, "my twin doesn't _date _morons, no matter how cute."

"The real thief is still out there!" Jaden declared, pulling his fellow Slifers from the ground. "Let's split up!" Crowler was obviously delighted to receive the unexpected assistance, despite volunteering to remain to make sure the delinquent didn't return to the scene of the crime, but Sora only agreed to help because Bastion dragged him off before he could voice any dissent, and after they were apart from the group, what was the point?

* * *

><p>"Dorms are clear," Bastion informed Jaden, tugging his fellow Ra along behind him, fingers tightly laced with those of the youngest Princeton.<p>

"So are the classrooms," Chumley said.

Sora gasped, eyes wide with panic. His breathing raced and he squeezed Bastion's hand tightly, wincing and putting his free hand to his temple. "Is something wrong?" the mathematician asked, concerned for his friend.

"Syrus found them," the redhead panted, body tense. "They're dueling down by the water… Kami, the monsters are _pissed_ that they've been taken… I can feel their anger all the way over here…"

/_Kurriii!_/ a familiar voice sounded in Jaden's ear, causing the brunet to look over at the little furball waving a monster card in its stubby paws. Realizing it might be part of what was causing the younger Princeton trouble, he took the card from his duel spirit, examining the silver dragon before he heard a soft screech in his ear.

/_He is the one who hears the spirits where few others do… he is sensitive to compensate for his soulmate's ignorance… and now without a protector, he is at the mercy of all who might dare oppose him…_/ a soft voice sounded in Jaden's head.

"Come on!" the brunet growled, running towards the dock. "We've gotta check it out!" He didn't know what the obligation was stemming from, guilt or fondness, but he wanted to prevent Sora from feeling the backlash of Yugi's missing cards, and since Chazz wasn't around to do it, he was going to have to do.

"Coming!" Bastion yelled, towing Sora along behind him while glancing worriedly over his shoulder. _Sora… I don't know what you're talking about… but whatever it is, it's worrying me… please, just be okay, Sora, I don't know what I would do without you now…_

* * *

><p>Bastion worriedly eyed Sora, who was huddling against his arm with wide silver eyes and had been ever since the duel had begun. "Hey," he murmured softly, "it'll be okay, Sora. Jaden'll win this and get the deck back."<p>

"I doubt it," the redhead replied, clutching the yellow jacket tightly in his hands. "The spirits are angry, so very angry, and they might just kill Jaden for daring to oppose them now."

"It's more than that," Bastion replied, needing to reassure the other boy. "You see, Dimitri's a copycat duelist, so in order to defeat him, you must exploit the failings of whoever he's copying, as you did when you first dueled Dimitri, Syrus. You knew he was copying Crowler's deck and you knew what its weaknesses were, that's how you won, but the problem is now he's copying Yugi, a duelist whose weaknesses are not so well known, that is, if he has any at all. You see, there is no set formula on how to beat the King of Games, therefore there is no set formula on how to beat Dimitri now." He paused to give an encouraging smile to the male clutching at his arm. "However, I don't doubt that Jaden will find one."

"Not if the spirits have anything to say about it," Sora whispered, silver eyes focused on the duel with startling intensity he hadn't shown since Chazz had left.

* * *

><p>The instant Dark Magician appeared on the field, Sora let out an odd cry, burying his face in Bastion's shoulder. "No, not Mahado, please, not Mahado," he whimpered, terrified by specters only he could sense.<p>

"It's all right, Sora, it's all right," the Ra soothed, stroking the copper hair and ignoring the Slifers' concerned looks. "I won't let Mahado won't hurt you."

"Yes," the Princeton murmured sadly as Thousand Knives destroyed Jaden's Thunder Giant, "but you can do nothing for Jaden."

* * *

><p>"Well well, there may be no known blueprint to defeat Yugi," Bastion stated, trying to bolster the redhead's faltering spirits, "but Jaden's still trying to design one, and if my hunch is right, what he's planning might work."<p>

Silver eyes looked up at him with childlike hope. "I hope so," he mumbled, snuggling his face into Bastion's shoulder, which prompted a blush to appear on the genius' cheekbones before he returned his attention to the duel, feeling a little better now that his companion didn't seem so frightened any more.

* * *

><p>"All right!" Syrus said happily, "Now Jay's got a monster that can stand up to the <span>Dark Magician<span>!"

"And every other monster in Yugi's deck," Bastion finished, relief flooding him with the hope that Sora would calm with the new development. "After all, with no Egyptian God cards, that Dark Magician is the strongest card Dimitri has."

Sora shook his head. "Wrong, wrong, wrongity, wrong," he stated in a sing-song voice, "the spirits' might is still yet strong."

The Brit turned to his companion. "Sora, what are you talking about?" he murmured before his brown eyes widened with the sudden realization that the Dark Magician of Chaos was on the field. "That's one of the mightiest creatures you'll ever see."

"Foolish is as foolish does," Sora sung again, a strange smile splitting his face, "and _he's _the biggest there ever was!"

"Jaden is in deep trouble," Syrus murmured.

"Unfortunately, Syrus, that's the understatement of the year," Bastion replied, turning a questioning gaze to how Sora shrunk closer still to him, slender chest pressing against his broad shoulder. "Look what he has to contend against: The Dark Magician of Chaos, full Life Points, the King of Games' deck. The trouble isn't deep, it's subterranean." He reached around to stroke the Princeton's hair. "Of course, Jaden always performs best under pressure, so I think he'll be fine."

"The spirits are furious," Sora whispered, seeming to be coming back to himself slightly as Winged Kurbioh took the field. "Bastion, I'm scared, they're baying for blood to pay for their loss… and they don't care who's it is that ends up spilled."

"It'll be okay, Sora," the Brit muttered. "I promise."

* * *

><p><em>Sora seems a deal calmer now that Jaden's turned things around<em>, Bastion thought, glancing at the redhead who had gone quiet though still clutched his sleeve in one pale hand. "My, Jaden's impressing more and more every turn!" the Brit praised, "What skillful play! Now he'll be able to attack with each monster separately."

Sora shuddered. "A village burned for the price of this," he whispered, "ninety-nine for seven's magic to tame the spirits' anger," he whispered, silver eyes unseeing. "But they were wrong, but they were wrong." He started crying, hiding his face in Bastion's arm as the mathematician worried comforted him, having no idea what he was supposed to do to stop the waterworks since even _he _had lost the boy this time.

* * *

><p>It was the Black Luster Soldier that caused it. Sora whimpered as the first monster was destroyed, pressing himself so close to Bastion that the other boy could feel every divot of his body. "Protect me, Water Dragon," the gamer whispered, "don't let Copycat get me."<p>

"Sora, snap out of it!" Jaden yelled, the antics of his Winged Kuriboh finally causing him to see what was happening, only it was too late. He had only turned after the snap had split the air, audible only to him and extremely faintly for Chumley, who had thought it merely something of his imagination.

The Princeton let out a scream, somehow squirming closer to the genius. "No, not Flame Wingman, anything but Flame Wingman!" he cried.

"Sora, you're okay!" Syrus cried as Bastion turned to cuddle the distraught Ra close. "You're okay!"

Sora raised his head to reveal foggy, unfocused silver eyes. "Steam Gyroid?" he murmured, "Why can't I see you?"

"Finish this, Jaden!" Chumley called. "We can't figure out what's wrong with him until he calms down, and he won't do that until you finish this!"

The Slifer nodded. "You've done it now, Dimitri!" he yelled. "As if there wasn't enough reason to win this, now you've got Chazz on my side too! This duel's over!"

* * *

><p>Thankfully, once the duel had concluded, Sora was docile as a lamb, clinging to Bastion's sleeve quietly until the blond in Zane's arms sent everyone scurrying off. Worried, the genius led the gamer up the cliff and to the infirmary, not caring if he was waking Miss Fontaine up. This was an emergency. "Hello?" he called, his footsteps echoing loudly on the linoleum though Sora's were silent. "Is anyone here?"<p>

"What are you doing here, dearie?" the lady asked, revealing herself from where she was organizing the closet.

"Sora here," Bastion said, nodding his head to the other Ra, "is suffering from sudden blindness and some sort of delusion where he thinks everyone is a Duel Monster."

The Princeton sniffled, looking very small on the plastic chair the Misawa had sat him on. "Why'd you leave me, Water Dragon?" he whimpered, head down.

"Hey Sora!" Jaden declared, bursting into the infirmary, "how ya doing?"

The redhead let out a little shriek of alarm, scrambling off the chair, the metal legs tangling with his own as he pushed himself into huddling in a corner, eyes shut fearfully.

Bastion darted to his side, brushing copper hair from in front of his face. "Sora?" he murmured, "you're okay."

The Princeton buried his face in the genius's chest. "Flame Wingman is scary," he whispered in a conspirital tone. "He's why Infernal Incinerator left."

"From the looks of things, Bastion," the teacher stated, having watched the past few moments carefully, "this is a sickness of the mind, not the body. He'll likely get better on his own, but he should have someone he trusts implicitly to take care of him."

"I'll do it," the Brit volunteered without a second thought. "Chazz isn't here to do it, and he's afraid of Jaden, but he seems to trust me." The boy made a little noise in the back of his throat as if to agree with that statement, nuzzling into Bastion's chest and looking thoroughly satisfied when the genius picked him up and began carrying him off back to the room with the walls covered in equations, the one he'd always thought of as a second home.

* * *

><p>Phew, done! I'mma call it a day!<p>

Bastion: You made him go insane!

Yeah, so?

Chazz: I'M GONNA KILL YOU! *chases after Die*

Jaden: Review please!

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1215/2011


	15. E20: The Strong Deck with Beloved Maiden

Black and Red

Sometime between this and next update, it'll be my birthday, so I'm gonna celebrate it now! However, as a result of this occasion, I may not be able to put up another chapter in a week, mostly because of how busy I'll be and because it's gonna be another fast-paced episode. If I can't get it done in time, I promise I'll put it out as soon as I do have it done, but in the meantime, please enjoy this update I finished a good bit beforehand in an attempt to work around my birthday plans!

Please remember to read the two oneshots that go with this series along with the companion story **Gold and Silver**.

* * *

><p>I'm still transcribing myself, so I've been a good girl!<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 20. The English-dub instead uses "Maiden in Love".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Don't you think that if I did, this would be in Japanese instead of English?

* * *

><p>Chapter 20: The Strong Deck with Beloved Maiden<p>

_Jaden happily drew a card, looking down at his hand and knowing he had the chance to defeat the King of Games like he'd always dreamed. For the life of him, he couldn't say what it was that had him looking to the side, but when he did, his heart froze right in its tracks. Chazz stood back in the tunnel behind him, watching the duel with crossed arms and obviously having trouble fighting back tears that he hadn't been good enough to even _enter_ the exclusive tournament, let alone duel the King of Games. The brunet shook his head. "Sorry Yugi," he said, "but I'm going to have to surrender."_

"_What?" the smaller male yelled in confusion. "What could be more important than becoming the King of Games?"_

_Jaden gave him a hard look. "Comforting someone I love." He jumped over the side of the old-fashioned dueling arena and ran to the ravenet's side, attaching himself to the other boy's arm._

"_Slacker," the Princeton growled thickly, vainly trying to tug his arm from the Yuki's grip, "get the fuck off me, you have a duel to finish."_

"_Chazz, the duel's over," Jaden replied. "I coulda beat him, but I surrendered."_

"_You idiot!" Chazz growled, wheeling, "why'd you do that?"_

"_Because you needed me more than I needed to beat Yugi."_

_Silver eyes softened. "Slacker," he murmured, resting his chin on the brunet's head. "Thank you."_

_Jaden beamed, wrapping his arms around the other. "Anytime, love."_

_Maniacal laughter sounded then, causing the two boys to grip each other tightly. "Now now, Jaden," a cold voice sounded, one the boy recognized only from the videos of the Battle City duels, "you know what the price was if you lost that duel."_

_Chazz fell limp in his arms, his breathing slowly quickly, and Jaden screamed his anguish and pain as he held his dying lover close to his heart._

"No!" the Slifer yelled, bolting up in bed and banging his head against Syrus's bunk above him. "Ow!" he yelped, hands flying to the knot he'd just created.

"Oh good, Jay, you're up!" Syrus announced, smiling. "I was just about to wake you for school!"

"Yay," he stated sarcastically, rubbing his head and feeling a little pang in his heart that it hadn't been a different, harsher voice there to reassure him that it had all been a dream.

* * *

><p>"Now, the big match-up against our rival school North Academy is coming up!" Chancellor Sheppard announced, Bastion paying close attention and keeping half an eye on the childish redhead entertaining himself by determining all the different ways he could intertwine their fingers. "Last year, Zane, our student rep, whupped 'em good, and this year, I want to win the School Duel again!" Sora reached up to start petting Bastion's black hair, but he carefully dodged in a practiced maneuver, instead letting the Princeton continue his previous actions, one of the many strange and childish tendencies the newly-blinded boy had picked up since the duel with Yugi's deck a week ago. He didn't bother chasting the younger, well-aware that it would be to no avail. Sora's mind had shut itself down to protect itself from something, and whatever it was, it was something he seemed to think only Bastion could fully keep from him.<p>

On the other side of the room, Jaden pulled his attention from the two Ras, biting his lip. He had to admit it—he wanted Chazz back, and while Sora's condition was certainly a good reason to want the cocky Obelisk's return, he couldn't deny this _want _to have the ravenet standing there at his side and letting insults roll off his quick tongue. His eyes fell to the Obelisks, blankly observing that, for once, Zane and his boyfriend were separated, something that he was certain Blair noticed as well judging by her staring at the bluenet strangely.

Syrus leaned over to him. "Hey Blair," he whispered into the new student's ear, "did you know Zane's my brother?"

He blushed slightly, turning to the little bluenet. "Really?"

Syrus nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty cool, but Mom says I got the looks."

"Now we still haven't decided on who is going to represent us this year, so if you keep hitting those books and dueling hard, you may be the one who gets the honor," Chancellor Sheppard continued before timing out of the screen.

Jaden took a quick breath to compose himself from his thoughts on a certain Obelisk before he butted in-between Blair and Syrus. "All right, did you hear what he said?" he cheered excitedly, pepping himself up so that it wasn't obvious to his friends that he was worrying over the Princetons like a dog with a particularly cumbersome bone, "It could be me in this match!"

"Hey!" Syrus protested, "or me, but we might as well face it, Jay, it'll probably be Zane who gets the spot again."

"How come?" the brunet protested. "I mean, Zane's been beaten before, so he might let Kieran go instead."

"Zane'll do it and win," Blair murmured, looking over at the elder Truesdale sibling, "because he's amazing."

"Psh, I've dueled better," Jaden grouched, crossing his arms.

"Name one other duelist who's managed to beat you, Jay," Syrus retorted.

"It's not so much that he managed to _beat_ me," the brunet admitted, the bridge of his nose coloring, "so much as it is the way he duels that puts him leagues ahead of almost everyone else."

"Uh _huh_," the bluenet remarked slyly but said nothing further.

* * *

><p>Benito sighed, looking forlornly at his spirit monster. "Mystic," he murmured, "do you ever think Sora's gonna come back to normal?"<p>

The Swordsman shrugged. _/With Chazz and Command Knight missing, who knows? Still, at least he's repaired his rift with Bastion._/

"True," the Italian replied, "but I can't help but fear he'll go right back to chasing after me when this is all said and done with." He bit his lip. "After all, Sora _does _go for the ones who have proven themselves already…"

/_Then why don't you show him you're already taken?_/

Benito blushed, a rare countenance for the Italian. "I already did the playboy act," he admitted, "and all it did was cause me to lose Sora."

/_You have someone in mind._/

The spirit didn't ask a question, but the duelist still answered a soft "Yes," hiding his face in his collar bashfully. Knowing the warrior would only ask the question, he murmured, "It's Syrus Truesdale."

The warrior smiled, ruffling his hair. /_Come on, I'll take you to him._/ Mystic Swordsman was a great duel spirit in that he never judged his wielder for his choices in romantic partners, merely assisted with whatever plan it was the boy had to woo his latest interest.

* * *

><p>Chazz sighed, leaning his head back against the railing. He was worried about Sora, the youngest Princeton had never been left alone for too long since that time he'd been trapped inside an elevator when they were kids, the incident that had triggered his agoraphobia. Still, something kept him from turning his boat in the direction of the nearest landmass and then taking a helicopter back to Duel Academy, some sense that he hadn't yet completed what he needed to do. He needed to make Jaden proud of him, to redeem himself in those chocolate eyes, and if his gut told him that continuing on would get him that, he would keep following the way the tides.<p>

The sudden draft that nearly pushed him over the side of the boat was unexpected, and he raised his gaze to try to figure out if a storm was coming. Instead, he met the silver form of a great dragon creature with a human face. "Hello Chazz Princeton," it greeted, bowing its head. "It is truly an honor to meet you, but I have a favor to ask."

The Obelisk nearly fell off the boat, only saved by the fact his elbows were hooked around the top of the railing. "What?" he asked, looking incredulous. _Please tell me I'm just hallucinating this… _

"I need you to rescue my mate," the dragon answered. "He's been captured in order to create a different type of card, but I can't rescue him on my own." It let out a soft cry, the sound akin to that of a warbling bird. "Please, he's suffering."

Chazz sighed, pressing the button to drop the anchor. "All right," he muttered, raising his hand up to wrap his fingers around a silver wingtip, "I'll help you."

The dragon yanked him up, sending him up into the air with a yelp before it caught him on its broad back. "Thank you," it murmured, flying towards a green haze on the horizon. "I'll take you to the island complex they're keeping him on, but you won't be able to take him until you defeat them in a duel."

Chazz hummed in acknowledgement, unable to keep a smirk from his lips. _I'll prove myself to you, Jaden… I'll win your heart, I promise… I love you._

* * *

><p>"I want one!" Syrus declared, "How do I get a Maiden Counter?"<p>

"Yeah, me too, I want one too!" Chumley added.

"Well, you decide to play along with the whims of an evil bitch," Benito answered, nodding in greeting to the two Obelisks. He knew Alexis through reputation, and as for Zane, well, he'd done his research on the Truesdales.

"She's not a bitch!" Syrus protested hotly.

"She is," the Italian shot back, smirking, "after all, I've been forced to date enough of 'em to know a bitch when I see one."

"Uh, guys?" Alexis murmured, hand on her hip, "Try and remember that it's _just_ a card you're looking at."

"Try and remember who you're talking to," Zane retorted, sighing and looking slightly ashamed for his younger brother's conduct. "When Sy and I were growing up, he used to claim he was going steady with Dark Magician Girl."

"Is that so?" Alexis teased gently, "She break your heart, Sy, or did you just decide to see other monsters?"

Benito chuckled was chuckling at this new revelation, his duel spirit right beside him shaking with mirth. "Oh man, questionable tastes from the start," he offered through his laughter. "I mean, _my _first crush was on Raging Flame Sprite myself, and that was more of a platonic thing than anything serious!"

"Homosexual?" Zane asked nonchalantly, "or just bi?"

"The first one and single," the ravenet answered, nodding. "You?"

"I have a boyfriend," the Cyber duelist replied calmly, "and I'm not really one for girls either. Too whiny for my tastes."

"Ain't that the truth," the Italian muttered, plopping down beside the younger boys and leaning his head against the smaller's shoulder as he watched the duel.

* * *

><p>Sora hummed some random tune as he wrapped himself in Bastion's comforter, giggling lightly. The mathematician gave a tight smile at the childish charge, more than a little worried by the change that had been wrought in him lately. Since Jaden's duel against Yugi's deck, Sora had gotten a good deal quieter, not talking all that often and even then only to Bastion, and would do all sorts of things more akin to a smaller child than a high school student, among them his constant need to be around Bastion. He still couldn't see, but with the other Ra's patient help, he could still function well enough with the help. During the one time the teachers had attempted to send him to the mainland for psychiatric help, the redhead had badly panicked, clinging to Bastion tightly enough for his dull nails to leave half-moon crescents in the mathematician's skin even through the double layer of the yellow jacket and the green shirt. At least this way, under the genius's care, the youngest Princeton was kept calm and soothed.<p>

"Water Dragon!" the blind boy called, poking his head out of the cocoon, the majority of his copper locks underneath the blanket, "play with me!"

The ravenet sighed, walking across the room to sit beside the smaller male, his hand resting on the fiery hair so that the blind male would know where he was. "I'm sorry, Sora," he murmured, the silky softness of the strands beneath his fingers making him smile softly, "but I have work to do."

The ex-Warrior duelist pouted as he reached out of the tangle to grab Bastion's other hand, slowly writing his message into the Brit's palm in the way he would when they were in class. _Not even for a little bit?_

"Not right now, Sora," he answered, throwing a glance at the wall, "Maybe later." He was grateful Sora couldn't see right now, otherwise he'd likely be mad at the genius for dividing the wall in half. One side of it was an attempt to figure out how to bring the boy back to normal—this one ended with one solution and one solution only: he needed to find Chazz and have the elder Princeton twin snap the younger out of his state. The second was a map of the sea within several thousand miles of Duel Academy, the expanse littered with notes and formulas where he thought Chazz would have landed or drifted to based on prevailing currents, storms within the past few months, and his own rudimentary psychology of the obsidian-haired Princeton. It wasn't much in the ways of determining where Chazz might have gone off to, but it was a start to healing Sora.

* * *

><p>"Did she say dueling for love?" Zane asked, brow furrowed. "Doesn't she mean dueling with love?"<p>

"Don't tell me you haven't put the pieces together yet," Alexis murmured, grinning. "Think about it, Zane: she puts on a disguise, tricks her way into our school, breaks into _your_ room." Chumley gasped slightly at this revelation.

"_She's_ in love?" he breathed, silver-blue eyes wide as he leaned against Benito beside him.

"Big time," the blonde agreed, "and she's in love with _you_, Zane." Both Truesdales looked uncomfortable at her words, Syrus at the thought of his brother actually having hormones and Zane at the one of dating a girl, never mind _this_ one.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," the foreign duelist groaned, theatrically putting a hand over his mouth. "All this romance is getting to me."

"Hey, don't do it on me!" Syrus yelped, though he made no move to jump away.

"Yeah, it looks like Jaden's turning this around!" Chumley added as both of the male monsters left the field at Burstinatrix's call.

"Thank Kami, I was beginning to think I'd have to end this duel myself by making out with the nearest cute boy," Benito sighed, closing his eyes, but he quickly found himself getting abandoned as Syrus and everyone ran off. He pouted, pushing herself to his feet to see Zane standing there. "Did you want something?" the Devlin asked, falling into step beside the elder bluenet.

"Don't you dare hurt my little brother," the Cyber duelist warned in a low voice, "otherwise you'll have _me _to deal with, and believe me, I _will _make you suffer every moment of pain you inflict upon him."

"Trust me, I'm not gonna hurt him," he reassured, running after the little bluenet. "Hey, wait up Sy!"

* * *

><p><em>Bastion smiled as he saw Sora laugh at a table in Miss Dorothy's café, his head thrown back as he watched a laughing Jaden be mock-strangled by Chazz before the Obelisk pulled the brunet onto his lap as if nothing had happened. He moved to take a step towards them, but a soft voice stopped him. "<strong>Bastion Misawa…<strong>"_

"_Who's there?" he called, looking around until he saw a little orange dragon rear up on its hind legs and beckon to him. The genius' brow furrowed. "Did you call me?" he asked confusedly, to which the creature squeaked and shook its head, taking the material of his pants into a claw and tugging gently. "You want to show me something?" It considered the question for a moment before nodding, going back down onto all fours to walk over to the hallway, looking over its shoulder to make sure he was following._

_He gave an uneasy look over his shoulder, unwilling to leave Sora alone, but to his surprise, the elder Princeton twin caught his eye over Jaden's fluffy light-brown locks. The Obelisk jerked his head in a clear encouragement even as he reached up to play with Jaden's hair. It was clear the confident boy would keep a close eye on both of the gentle males in his company, leaving the Brit free to follow the little dragon._

_The dragon in question had reared back up, clearly debating whether to return and request after him again, but he strode over to it, making it drop down again and pad off in the direction of the Duel Arena. Standing there in the center, clearly waiting for him, was a familiar duel monster: Sora's favorite card, none other than Command Knight himself. The warrior smiled at the duelist. "Hello Bastion," he murmured, the instant the words fell from his mouth causing the mathematician to realize this was the one who had spoken, "it is good to see you again."_

_Tensing defensively, the last time he'd seen the card it had been against him after all, he placed his body between the hallway he'd come from and the warrior, though he took a step back when he saw Water Dragon materialize in front of him, snarling softly. "What do you want?" he growled, determined to keep Sora safe._

"_Relax," the swordsman encouraged, "I mean you no harm. I only came to tell you something important."_

"_What is it?" Bastion didn't back down quite yet, not sure whether to trust the other monster._

"_Stop looking for my card and for Sora's twin," he answered, the dream going blurry around them as Bastion slowly became aware of the redhead's warmth in his arms. "The both of us will return when we're ready and not a second sooner."_

* * *

><p>"Goodbye!" Blair called from the boat, waving down at the dock at Jaden, Zane, Alexis, Chumley, and Syrus. "I'll be back just as soon as I finish grade school! And middle school too! But I'll be back you guys!"<p>

Jaden laughed, turning to the elder Truesdale. "Hear that Zane? You can't shake her no matter what you do!"

"Oh please, I'll be long gone by the time she gets here," he snorted. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Kieran would dump her in the bay long before he let me date a girl."

"That's true," the brunet admitted, "I guess Blair's crush ends right here."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Zane murmured, smirking at Benito as the Italian appeared out of nowhere to use his younger brother as an armrest.

"Goodbye Jaden," the girl yelled, "Bye, sweet prince, I love you!"

The young Kuriboh wielder's eyes went wide. "What?" he yelled, wheeling on Alexis, "she's supposed to like Zane!"

"She does like Zane, but apparently she loves you," the blonde teased, chuckling behind a raised hand.

"Good luck," the Obelisk offered, walking off towards his dorms with Benito, Syrus, and Chumley following, albeit with the intent to return to their own dorms.

"Uh, hey Chumley, Benito," Syrus asked, "wanna go get some new cards?"

"I'll just watch you two," the young Devlin answered, flashing a grin and tossing a few strands of his black hair in that signature way his uncle was so fond of. "My deck's fine as is, no need for any newcomers."

"Yeah," the chubby Slifer muttered, "I got one in mind."

"Just do me a favor, fellas," Alexis announced, following after the three boys and leaving Jaden behind on the pier, "and stay away from the girls in _my_ deck."

"I'll see you soon!" Blair called, still waving. "Write me every day! I love you Jaden, sweetie!"

Jaden whimpered, moving his fingers mechanically as he panicked at the thought of wrapping his arms around little Blair, or hell, just _any _girl. "Aw man," he groaned, "I wish they made cards to counter _this_!" To his surprise, the image changed in a few moments from him with his arms around a girl's waist to pale appendages wrapped around his own, his fingers tangled in long hair as a sultry mouth nipping at his ear, something that made his cheeks turn bright red before he decided to let the matter lie. Today was a weekend, so since he hadn't managed to get enough sleep last night because of the duel against Blair, he fully planned on sleeping away the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>"<em>Jaden," a soft voice called through the door, "where are you?"<em>

_He knew that voice. Heart in his throat, he ran to the wood that had been left ajar, pushing it aside impatiently to see Chazz standing there, waiting for him with open arms. "Chazz!" he yelled, running forward to tackle the other boy in a hug. "You're back!" He smiled slightly at the fact he managed to knock the Obelisk back a step or two, though pale arms were quick to come up and catch him._

"_Heh, of course I'm back, slacker," the ravenet chuckled, pulling back from the embrace so that he could place his spidery fingers underneath the brunet's chin and lift those chocolate eyes to stare into his silver gaze. "I would never leave you behind."_

_A warm smile twitched at his lips. "Chazz…" he whispered, leaning in to capture the other boy's lips for a gentle kiss._

"Chazz…"

Syrus's gray eyes widened at the sound of his roommate's voice softening over the name of his rival, the bigger Slifer nuzzling into his pillow with a peaceful, happy expression on his face. He moved to get up, but a soft chuckle had him looking to the door to see soft blue-green eyes and long raven hair. "Oh, let him be, Syrus," his visitor murmured, plopping himself down on the bed that had yet to be removed from their room. "It won't do anyone a little harm for Jaden to have a little dream romance with Chazz Princeton. Hell, if he has the balls to rope in the cocky bastard, he might even make Chazz mellow out a bit."

"Benito," the little Truesdale murmured, looking conflicted. "I guess you're right," he muttered finally, sitting down on the bed beside the Italian. "What harm could it do to have a little love in our lives?"

The Mystic Swordsman user smiled, delighted his crush had decided to settle beside him. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

><p>Jaden: Hey Die, I got you a birthday present!<p>

... What is it?

Bastion: ... A cake. *wheels it out*

Yum, cake. *goes to open it only for Chazz to burst out of it*

Chazz: Surprise!

GAH! *screams and faints*

Chazz: ... Well that wasn't what we were going for there...

Jaden: *smacks Chazz* Great, now you killed her!

Chazz: OW! Jaden, she's not dead, just unconscious!

Jaden: I don't care!

Bastion: *sighs as the sounds of smacking continue* Please review... We'll give you some of this extra cake...

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1215/2011


	16. E21&22: Battle Worth Fighting, Part 1

Black and Red

Yeah, I know, short chapter, but with everything that's going on right now, I don't blame me. I had a lot of stuff to do between my birthday, setting up my Kindle (which doesn't get Wi-Fi at school...), and somehow throwing out my back. Also, between my huge paper which accounts for five percent of my science grade being due this week a month earlier than I thought and wanting to finish Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (and then being struck by a fierce urge to write a oneshot with Galbatorix and Shruikan, two of my favorite characters in the book, riding equal to Thorn and Murtaugh), I was pushing it just writing as much as I did in my exhausted state of imagination…

Also, don't forget to read **Gold and Silver**, the companion story, and the two oneshots that go with this!

* * *

><p>I did all the transcribing myself, so go me...<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 21 and 22. Its Japanese version translates to "Fusion Seal! Judai [Jaden] VS Misawa [Bastion] (Part 1)" and "Summon Wildman! Judai VS Misawa (Part 2)", but my own title for this is "A Battle Worth Fighting, Part One". However because this chapter forced me to cut it in half since so much happened with Sora, this will be a two-part chapter.

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I didn't, then I wouldn't have killed Chazz in season three.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2122 (Part One): The Duel Off, Parts One and Two, or "A Battle Worth Fighting, Part One"

The dragon landed heavily on a sandy shore, lowering himself to the ground to permit the Obelisk to slide himself to clump on the beach, grimacing as the quartz crystals showered into his boots. The ravenet stomped over to the forest, getting yet more sand into his shoes, where he sat down on a stump and dumped out the stowaway particles. "We're near the complex," the dragon stated, settling itself down on the shore. "I can go no further if I wish to remain free."

"Of course not," Chazz grumbled, yanking on the edge of his boots and stomping off in the direction the creature indicated with a wave of its wing.

"Wait," the dragon called, stopping the Princeton in his tracks as a single silver eye stared at it questioningly. "Take these," it murmured, rummaging around in its plumage until it yanked out two feathers, the shafts shifting into cards in its beak, but unlike the other cards Chazz had, these two were actual _cards _with all the details that made them usable in a duel. "They'll help you get your mate back."

"These are Elemental Hero cards," the Obelisk stated, his brow furrowed. "I don't play an E-Hero deck, Jaden does."

"I never said I knew _how _they would help you," the dragon stated, scraping out a nest for itself and then settling inside it like a bird, "just that they would."

Grumbling curses under his breath, the Princeton shoved the cards into his pocket and walked off, firmly resolving to get rid of them as soon as it was feasible.

* * *

><p>Sora tugged on Bastion's sleeve, biting his lip conflictedly. "Yes Sora?" the Brit asked, his heart going out to the cute boy clinging to him and letting the redhead steal his hand to write on his palm.<p>

_Does Infernal Incinerator really love Flame Wingman?_

The Brit blinked at the question. "I don't know," he murmured. "I think Chazz liked Jaden, and Benito said that you told him Chazz really liked Jaden, and his behavior would back that up, but nothing ever came of it and he certainly never confessed."

_Can I talk with Flame Wingman?_

"Of course Sora," he murmured, guiding the copper-haired boy across campus to the Slifer cafeteria, careful to use physical cues rather than verbal ones that would have only gotten swallowed by the babbling crowd.

"Sora!" Jaden cried, hastily swallowing his mouthful of rice and darting over to the Princeton's side. "It's so good to see you're okay!"

Dilated silver eyes focused on him as pale fingers came up to feel over his face, gently tracing the lines of his bones before they wound through chocolate locks and a chapped mouth descended on his lips. Jaden spluttered, blushing darkly as his hands came up to cover his lips and he stared at Sora in shock, the younger Princeton looking thoughtful. "My twin chose well," he remarked, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a half-smirk. "I approve."

_Sora kissed Jaden. _Sora_ kissed Jaden. Sora _kissed _Jaden. Sora kissed _Jaden_. _My_ Sora kissed Jaden! _Bastion grabbed the other Ra, fighting to keep his grip from hurting the younger boy, and pulled the copper-haired male behind him. "Jaden," he growled, his voice dangling on that narrow boundary between pure fury and attempted civility, "do you know what he meant by that?"

"No," Jaden murmured from behind his hand, "but I promise it wasn't mutual."

Gentle fingers began tracing letters on his back. _It's okay, Water Dragon, I was merely testing to see if Infernal Incinerator chose well when he wanted Flame Wingman. He did the same to Mystic Swordsman when we first dated and it's hardly like it was my first kiss._

"As if that makes me feel any better," he grumbled, intending to glare reprimandingly at his charge but softening at the innocence in those sightless silver eyes, "It wasn't right of you to do that."

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you, Flame Wingman," the Princeton murmured, ducking his head. "I merely wanted to make sure Infernal Incinerator hadn't made a misjudgment when he'd chosen you to be his."

"I forgive you, Sora," Jaden squeaked from behind his hands, thinking of another boy with those same enigmatic eyes. "You didn't mean any harm in it, right?" A shake of copper locks confirmed his words. "Then come on, stay a while! We got the best food, and company, on the entire island!"

Bastion shook his head. "Nah, I'm trying to keep Sora in more familiar settings so that he knows where everything is."

The Princeton beamed at that, his fingers lightly tracing over the mathematician's shoulder down his arm to his hand, which he grabbed tightly in his arms, giggling like a little kid. _I love you, Water Dragon! _he wrote with his free hand. Surprised by the sudden declaration, the ravenet looked over his shoulder at the boy, but the gamer was already looking back down at their conjoined hands, playing with them again.

* * *

><p>Benito sat out at the cliffs, tossing a single die up in the air and catching it in his fist before repeating the whole process, enjoying the way the sunlight shone through the translucent blue cube unimpeded save for the spots of white paint dotting its surface. His duel spirit watched the movement for a good while before he nudged his wielder. _Are you sure it was entirely wise for you to leave Syrus like that?_/ he asked. /_After all, he's _hardly _yours by any stretch of imagination, anyone could woo the little _angelo meccaniche*_ and he'd be too sweet and innocent to turn them down!_/

"Relax Mystic," the Devlin urged, grinning. "Jaden's mooning after Chazzy, and Sora and Bastion are too busy making doe eyes at each other when they think no one's looking to go after him. I don't think anyone else is willing to go for a Slifer even if he _is _the little brother of _the _Zane Truesdale… in fact, I'd almost bet money that Zane scares off admirers more than encourages them…"

/_If you say so…_/ the swordsman stated, not in the least bit familiar with human courtship rituals beyond what little he had gleamed from watching television, and of what he _had _learned, he knew courting a boy was different from courting a girl.

"I'm serious," the Italian murmured, casting a look over the sea. "Syrus'll be fine. He's fond enough of me that I'm confident he won't think about anyone else."

/_More like you're confident in your abilities to knock the boy off his feet._/

"It's sweep, Mystic, sweep him off his feet," he corrected, grinning. "And yeah, I know Syrus'll fall to the classic Devlin charm. Everyone always does."

Mystic Swordsman chose not to comment that a certain raven-haired Princeton had proven immune to said charm, instead following his wielder's example and watching the waves pound against the rocks.

* * *

><p>After class was over, Sora happily cuddled up to his fellow Ra as the larger boy carried him bridal style down the stairs, protesting the relocation to a chair with a soft whine as he refused to remove his face from the Brit's chest even though it meant he was nuzzling Bastion's stomach rather than his shoulder. "Well, Bastion," Jaden greeted, "I guess may the best man win, huh?"<p>

"Best deck," he corrected, gently nudging the small boy away from him with the back of his hand, a fond smile on his face as he watched the pale hands snatch his own without fail despite the lack of sight, "and I assure you, Jaden, that deck will be mine. You see, I've been formulating a new set of cards to defeat you and your monsters ever since my duel with Chazz."

"You said you would," Jaden cried, delighted, even though he wanted to bite his lip at the mention of the elder Princeton twin, "so it's finished?"

"Not yet," the Brit admitted, shaking his head as he chuckled softly, watching Sora nuzzle his hand affectionately with a peaceful expression on his face, "but it will be, Jaden. It will be soon."

"Well, til then!" Jaden chirped, holding out his fist.

Bastion knocked against it before scooping up the Princeton once again, unsurprised when Sora fell asleep using his shoulder as a pillow in between the classroom and his dorm room. What _did _surprise him, however, was how cute the other Ra looked cuddled up to him, and for the first time, he wondered if he was in danger of losing his heart and mind to someone else.

* * *

><p>Chazz was glad to see the back end of that jungle. He'd been running around in there for at least an hour, if not more, and he wanted nothing more than to take a leaf out of Sora's book whenever his younger twin had been forced to do PE and crawl inside the walk-in freezer in the kitchen back at the Princeton estate. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the low building in front of him, wincing as a bead of sweat dropped into the shallow cut across his cheek. Air conditioning sounded like a <em>wonderful <em>idea right about now, but in the meantime, he had something he had to do first. He stole around the complex until he found the mail bag, the sight making him smirk. _Perfect._

* * *

><p>Bastion looked away from his computer and over his shoulder at his bed, where Sora lay curled up under the blankets like a little kitten, his face buried in Bastion's pillow since the mathematician wasn't in bed himself. He couldn't contain a smile at how cute the Princeton looked then, resting his elbow on the table and leaning his cheek against his hand. "Don't worry, Sora," he whispered, shoving down the urge to pet that silky soft copper hair spread across the pillows. "I'll be sure to win this duel. It's my only way to find your brother and get you back to normal. I won't lose this, I promise."<p>

* * *

><p><em>Sora whimpered, afraid of the darkness in his mind. <strong>You need to remember me, Sora,<strong> a soft voice called from the shadows, attempting to entice him into them. **You need to bring me back.**_

_The redhead shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. Where was his Water Dragon? Water Dragon would keep him safe, he always did and always would too._

**_Let me in, Sora, let me change your life for the better._**

_He whimpered, drawing closer to himself in a feeble, instinctual attempt to protect himself._

**_Let me unlock what it is Bastion is _****truly _interested in you for._**

"_No!" the redhead yelled, "Water Dragon loves me for me! He'd never leave me for something foolish!"_

**_He never kisses you, never acts as anything more than your protector, never tells you he loves you, Sora; face it, he will leave you, just as all the others have, for it is your fate to have nothing to hold you to your bonds._**

"_Water Dragon!" the Princeton cried, "Come and save me, please Water Dragon, don't leave me, _I love you Bastion!_"_

_Something changed then, some imperceptible shift that he couldn't quite place for the life of him but that he could feel in the marrow of his bones. "Sora?" a soft voice called and he took up hope, his head shooting up even though his eyes still gazed sightlessly around him._

"_Water Dragon?" he called, reaching out with one hand. "Water Dragon, where are you?"_

"_Calm down, Sora, sweet," the voice continued, warm fingers entwining with his own as he was gently towed into a firm chest, his hair stroked with the most calming of touches. "I'm right here, I'm not going to leave you." Practically purring at the affection promising safety and comfort around him, the youngest Princeton calmed and fell into a deeper sleep, untroubled by the pains of what he'd lost and concerned only with what was._

* * *

><p>"Jaden! Mail call!" The brunet looked up from his food to see Pharaoh bring him an envelope that looked as if it had seen its fair share of abuse.<p>

"Huh?" he blurted, spraying the leftover rice he'd heated for breakfast all over the table. "But Dad _never _writes to me." Putting down his chopsticks, he took the letter from the cat, growling childishly at the feline when he was hissed at, and tore it open without even looking at the return address. Two cards fell out and he blinked. "Wha?" he asked, picking them up in confusion before he peeked inside the envelope itself. There, written on the inside of the flap, was a message to him.

_Kick some ass, slacker._

* * *

><p>"All right, Sora," Bastion sighed, turning to the redhead once they got to the Duel Arena, "Benito's gonna keep an eye on you for me while I'm dueling Jaden, so behave for him, okay? I'll be back before you know it."<p>

"I know," the Princeton whispered, snuggling closer to his captured prize of the Brit's arm for a moment before he loosened his grip once more. "I trust you, Water Dragon." For once, he was wearing the black leather jacket rather than Chazz's old navy Obelisk one, looking a little better in the darker color but not by too much—a few more pounds would have to reappear on his slender frame before Bastion would deem the boy back to his usual self appearance-wise. "That's why I want you to have these two cards," Sora murmured, pulling from his jacket a pair of cards and sliding them into Bastion's deck. "Now go beat Flame Wingman, my faithful Water Dragon."

* * *

><p>Chazz: ...<p>

Jaden: YAY, CHAZZ GAVE ME A GIFT! *hugs him*

Chazz: GAH, GET OFF ME!

Bastion: We all know he loves it... on the inside...

Okay, here's my crappy Italian translation that may or may not be correct. **Angelo meccaniche** means _mechanical angel._

Jaden: *smiles* Reviewers get to hug someone!

... I'm outta here. *walks off before she can get hugged*

Chazz: NO, TAKE ME WITH YOU!

Bastion: ...

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1215/2011


	17. E21&22: Battle Worth Fighting, Part 2

Black and Red

Ugh, I've been procrastinating so much… Monster Hunter Tri is so much more fun now that I've got my Wi-Fi up…

Anyway, a few notes to finish this out:

1) School has been beating down on me and I've got writer's block so bad I can't stand it! As a result, my updates may slow down from the weekly I've been managing, but rest assured, I will keep up with this story!

2) For some reason, my computer refuses to allow me to reply to reviews, so until that's back up, I'm just going to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND LOVE, I'LL TRY TO GET AROUND TO SENDING YOU A PRIVATE MESSAGE ABOUT IT SOMETIME SOON!

3) It comes to be that time again where I start fixing my chapters for spelling and grammar, so be expecting that sometime soon!

and 4) Please also remember to check out the companion story **Gold and Silver** and the two oneshots!

* * *

><p>I did my own transcribing, so yay me!<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 21 and 22. Its Japanese version translates to "Fusion Seal! Judai [Jaden] VS Misawa [Bastion] (Part 1)" and "Summon Wildman! Judai VS Misawa (Part 2)", but my own title for this is "A Battle Worth Fighting, Part Two".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, happy?

* * *

><p>Chapter 2122 (Part Two): The Duel Off, Parts One and Two, or "A Battle Worth Fighting, Part Two"

"You don't waste any time; I like that," Bastion declared, a glance over his shoulder revealing Sora staring sightlessly at him, the redhead's attention firmly focused on him instead of his friend Benito. He took heart in the absolute faith the youngest Princeton had in him and drew. _Here it is_, he thought with surprise, almost wondering if Sora himself had called the card forth from his deck, _the one card that will win me this duel! But first... I think I'll remind Sora why he's _mine_._ He plucked out the card from his hand, calling, "I'm going to summon Oxygeddon in attack mode," as he did so, the light green dinosaur putting up a more vocal and flamboyant appearance than usual in response to its wielder's desire for Sora to keep up with the duel as well. "And now, Oxygeddon, attack!"

* * *

><p>"Go, Magma Comet!"<p>

Bastion winced, already knowing this wasn't going to be a good move on Jaden's part. "Whoops, looks like someone has forgotten their chemistry," he announced, taking advantage of the time his monster was smoldering to subtly shift his body into a better position. "See, fire and oxygen, they don't mix, Jaden," he continued, hoping the Slifer would pick up on the scolding he was getting, "so when Oxygeddon is destroyed in battle by a Pyro-type monster, it doesn't just take a toll on my Life Points but on yours as well!"

The large fireball roared into life then, the flames licking at the two duelists and a good part of the audience as well, the holographic heat just as intense as if it had been the real thing. Soft brown eyes flickered out into the audience, glad to see that he had shielded the blind redhead from the brunt of the attack, though enough had gotten around him to startle the Princeton into burying his face in his friend's collar. Jaden followed the Ra's concerned gaze, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head as he saw what had happened. "Sorry Sora!" he called, "I wasn't thinking!"

Silver eyes peeked out from around the Italian's arm. "It's okay Flame Wingman," he murmured softly. "I forgive you."

And then the duel continued.

* * *

><p>"I activate the spell card <span>Bonding: H2O<span>! See, Jaden, when I bond two Hydrogeddons and one Oxygeddon, they do the exact same thing that two hydrogens bonded with one oxygen do: they become water, or in this case-"

"Water Dragon!" Sora yelled, beaming brightly enough to put a light bulb to shame with his exuberance as he leapt from his seat eagerly.

Bastion smiled at the sight. "Yes, the all-powerful Water Dragon!" he called, his heart soaring when the Princeton's laughter resounded in his ears as the deep aqua tail of his monster settled behind him. He loved it when Sora was happy.

* * *

><p>Jaden looked down at his hand. <em>All right, I have all the monsters to summon Flame Wingman and win this duel, especially with <span>Skyscraper<span> in my hand! _He reached down to pull out the card when he paused, pained silver eyes passing before him. He winced at the accusation in his imagining. "I'm sorry, Chazz," he whispered, feeling guilty before his apparition of the missing Princeton, "but I gotta win."

The imagining of Chazz crossed his arms, glaring at him. _"Yeah, well, I don't wanna see you use that card until it's against _me_, you understand, slacker?" _the ravenet sniffed. "_You still owe me a rematch, a proper one this time!_"

"All right," the Slifer murmured, grinning, "you're on!" Imaginary Chazz smirked at his side, his jaw coming up proudly. Bastion was gonna be in for it, Flame Wingman or not.

* * *

><p>"Go, trap card!" Bastion announced, wanting to make sure Sora understood <em>exactly <em>was happening right now, "Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell! Now by discarding one spell card from my hand, I can negate your spell card and destroy it!" Silver eyes followed the trails of the bright light shining from Jaden's now-useless card, wide with appreciation of his fellow Ra. "And you can no longer use the card that was destroyed by this effect for the remainder of the duel!"

"Wait, I can't use Polymerization anymore?" Jaden yelped, chestnut eyes wide.

"I'm afraid not," Bastion replied, "which essentially means you can't use any of your Fusion monsters anymore either. No Flame Wingman, no Thunder Giant, none of them." Murmuring broke out in the audience then, accompanied by a high laugh from Doctor Crowler. "Compute it any which way you like, but the answer will always come out the same: this duel's over, you can't win." _I hate to be so harsh, Jaden, but I have to do this… for Sora…_

* * *

><p>"Hey, I've got to go somewhere, okay?" Benito murmured, instantly catching Sora's attention. "You stay here, all right?" Making sure he received a nod in return, the Italian strode into a quiet alcove, Mystic Swordsman appearing before him.<p>

/_You're thinking about something. What is it?_/ the duel monster asked softly, able to pick up on the very edges of the question burning inside his wielder's mind.

"I've noticed that Jaden's monsters are usually the most energetic on the field since they're responding to his own enthusiasm, but today they seem… I don't know, off somehow. Bastion's monsters are putting up much more of a show than his are."

The Swordsman couldn't help it; he laughed. /_Trust me, Benito, Jaden's monsters are just as excited about the duel as he is. No, it's _Bastion's _monsters that are acting unusually, and they're simply picking up on their wielder's unconscious desires to please his interest._/

"So they're acting livelier to… impress Sora?" The Italian's tone expressed his disbelief, but his duel spirit was quick to reassure him.

/_To simplify things, yes._/

"Weird," Benito murmured, watching as Water Dragon spectacularly destroyed Jaden's Sparkman in a loud, flashy fashion. "Do you think Bastion knows his deck is responding to him like that?"

/_I'd doubt it,_/ Mystic Swordsman replied, rolling his eyes. /_You humans are rather dense when it comes to the matters of affections and duel spirits._/

* * *

><p>"There are now ten cards stacked above <span>Carbongeddon<span> in the Graveyard, but he can handle the pressure; in fact, he thrives on it," Bastion introduced, hoping Sora would be proud of how he was dueling, even daring to think that if the redhead ever reconstructed a deck, the Princeton would come to him for help, "because now, due to the immense gravitational force on Carbongeddon, he changes into diamond, and that lets me activate his special effect!" A glance over to the side revealed silver eyes gleaming with encouragement, so he continued his special summon. "By removing this card from play, I can now summon Hyozanryu, the diamond dragon!" The white dragon took the field with a loud screech, and Bastion threw a smile over to his fellow Ra. _Thank you for the new card, Sora, I could never have summoned him without you… or the Carbongeddon you gave me as well. _"Now, Hyozanryu, attack Bubbleman! Diamond Devastator!"

* * *

><p><em>Hate to do this, Bastion, but you left me no choice! <em>"Go Bladedge, attack Water Dragon with Slice'n'dice Attack!" Jaden cried, urging his monster forward.

Sora was on his feet, tears beading at the corners of his silver eyes. "No, Water Dragon!" he cried as the monster he loved so much was destroyed, the damage falling to his wielder.

"It's all right, Sora," Benito murmured, tugging on the Ra's shoulder as Bastion threw a few curveballs right back at Jaden.

"No, it's not!" the Princeton yelled directly in tune with Oxygeddon's destruction, punching his friend and running into the holographic city that was the field. "Bastion, Bastion!"

"Sora," the Ra murmured, catching the blind boy before he could stumble. "Love, what are you doing? You're going to get in trouble for interrupting the duel."

"Don't care," the redhead replied, burying his face in the genius' chest and tightening his grip in the yellow jacket clutched between his fingers. "I have to keep you safe from the spirits."

"I'll be fine, love, I promise," he assured, petting the copper locks in a reassuring manner. "Now go back to the sidelines before you get in trouble."

"Actually, Bastion," Jaden said, smiling at how cute the youngest Princeton looked as he clung to the ravenet's side, "I don't mind if he stays so long as he doesn't actually interfere with our duel."

"I can handle that," Sora whispered, leaning against his companion's back.

"Thank you, Jaden," the mathematician murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "but don't think for a second it'll make me go easy on you with my Litmus Doom Swordsman!"

* * *

><p>Jaden drew his card before his eyes flickered over to where his imaginary Chazz had floated, firmly ignoring him ever since the <span>Hyozanryu<span>, which _couldn't _have been Bastion's originally, not by the way Sora's face fell when it was taken off the field until he perked up at his fellow Ra's touch. Imaginary Chazz rolled his eyes, gesturing to the card. "_Go on, slacker, play them_," he encouraged grumpily. "_I gave you those cards to _win _duels, not to sit there and look pretty._"

Jaden grinned. With Elemental Hero Wildheart and Cyclone Boomerang, he'd won the duel without a doubt. _Thanks for the gift, Chazz, I just hope you'd be proud of how I used it…_

* * *

><p>Chazz: Hey, I didn't show up this chapter!<p>

Yeah, I ran out of time...

Chazz: *hits her upside the head* You can never not have time for 'the Chazz'!

... Chazz, I am not in the mood. *locks him in the closet with Jaden and walks off*

Bastion: Um, for reviews, we'll give you a card of your choice? Yeah... I'm going back to my equations...

* * *

><p>Last edited: 1015/2011


	18. E23: Exhaustion! Moke Moke Duel

Black and Red

Ugh, for the longest time I could NOT get motivated on this story, and I think I know why... Sure, reviews are author's porn and stuff and I'll admit this story's doing well, but this will likely be news to some people. **THERE IS ANOTHER HALF TO THIS STORY YOU HAVE NOT BEEN READING!** That's right. I have written more than just Sora and you haven't even looked at it. However, I doubt you ever will since it's about Zane, Aster, and Atticus, who are some of my favorite characters. Anyway, due to the fact that no one loves the story like I do, so it's been hard to work since I have to update both and I have no real motivation.

Anyway, my review-reply function is still on the fritz, so I'll just send everyone a PM... at some point...

There is a companion story to this, **Gold and Silver**, and a pair of oneshots. Please read them as well.

* * *

><p>I did all the transcribing myself. Yay.<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese titles for Episode 23. The English-dub instead uses "The Little Belowski".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, don't you think _this _would be canon?

* * *

><p>Chapter 23: Exhaustion! Moke Moke Duel<p>

Sora lay on the ground, his finger tracing the outline of the clouds as he sung softly. "_I can say what I want to say./ I say I wanna blow you away,/ Be with you every night./ Am I squeezing you too tight?/ I can see what I wanna see./ I wanna see you go down on one knee,/ Marry me today./ Guess I'm wishing my life away./ These things I'll never say._"

"Nice singing," an unfamiliar voice commented, causing him to sit up worriedly, silver eyes wide despite not being able to see anything through them, "It was nice and mellow, coming from the heart, but why pick something so commercial? It means all the more when it comes purely from your heart where it can't be corrupted by the influence of capitalism, man."

The youngest Princeton licked his lips before he whispered his reply. "I wasn't singing with anyone in mind. I just wanted to sing something…"

"Something's keeping you down, man," his companion stated, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You gotta let it go, embrace the freedom, man!"

The redhead shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, I've always been like this."

The boy looked to his side then laughed. "Mokey-Mokey here says otherwise. He says you've only been like this a month or two tops. You know why?" Sora shook his head. "It's 'cuz your Duel Spirit abandoned ya, man, went up and left you for another duelist. Tell me, who was your Duel Spirit?"

"Leave him alone," a familiar voice spat, sounding angry. "He doesn't need you to confuse him, Belowski."

"Nah, it's cool, I'm just curious, right Sora?" Belowski asked the redhead.

"I want Water Dragon," the Princeton whimpered, tucking his legs close to him.

"See, he's fine, man. Chill."

A torrent of swift, passionate Italian fell from the other's lips before strong arms picked him up. "We're done here," Benito informed him in clipped English, only the efforts of Mystic Swordsman keeping him from slipping back into his native tongue. "And if I ever see you antagonizing my ex again, Mystic and I will rip your head from your shoulders and shove it up your Duel Spirit's ass, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, it's cool, man," Belowski answered, lying back on the roof. "I got it."

* * *

><p>Chazz looked around the corner, stealing closer to the main hold. At the sound of a pair of scientists talking, he ran forward and kicked out, knocking the men to the floor and causing them to fall unconscious. He winced at the crack their heads made against the floor, but he had to get back to Jaden and Sora, and if doing that meant he had to hurt a few people, he would gladly do it so that he could see them again. Snatching a key card from one scientist's belt, he ran it through the lock and strode through the door when it opened to him, pushing it shut with his boot and inhaling a gasp at what met him inside. A large blue serpent stared down at him, coiled and ready to spring from within its cage. "Easy now," he muttered, his hands held out in front of him. "I'm a friend. Your dragon mate sent me in here to save you, so don't eat me, otherwise I'll kill you!"<p>

The snake blinked at him a couple of times but calmed down, slithering to the front of the cage and waiting patiently for release. "Confident little snake," he muttered, sliding the card key through the lock and letting the creature out, which just shifted past him without a second glance, pausing at the doorway to make sure he was following. "I'm being led out by a snake," he muttered to himself, following after the serpent. "I must either be bat-shit insane or horribly gullible." The serpent shot an icy glare at him but still led him through the woods until they reached the shore again where the dragon was waiting for them.

"You found him," the dragon sighed in relief, brushing the sapphire scales with silver feathers a couple of times before the serpent hissed softly, rubbing against the mercury scales on the dragon's neck and then climbing onto that broad back. "Thank you for your assistance, Chazz Princeton," the dragon stated, bowing deeply. "We would like to show our gratitude by towing your ship to your destination."

"Sure thing," the ravenet grouched, clambering up the ladder onto the main deck. "I'm going to take a nap. I want some good quality time with my Jaden, and if anyone interrupts me this time, I'm going to fucking castrate them with a spork." Growling, he slammed the door shut behind him as the dragon chuckled softly.

"He'll come around, sweet," it murmured, nudging the yacht into the ocean. "He has the final piece of the puzzle now, he'll be fine." The snake hissed in agreement, closing its eyes and letting the steady wingbeats lull it into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>Sora took fright at something, letting his spoon slip from his fingers as he wheeled and darted out of the Ra cafeteria. "Sora!" Benito called, cursing as he pushed back his chair only to find himself pinned to the wall. "Sora, wait!"<p>

The redhead ignored him, skidding on the linoleum as he attempted to stop in front of the stairs, pounding up them to reach the roof again with a furious glower on his face. He let out a low growl from deep in his chest, striding quickly over to a sleeping Bastion's side and worriedly nudging his side. "Water Dragon," he murmured softly, "are you okay?"

Benito, however, held onto his anger at the sight of the duel and its unintended victims. "How _dare_ you?" he snarled, green eyes burning dangerously. "Even after the warning I gave you, how _dare _you?"

"Like I said, it's cool," Belowski stated, grinning and ignoring the way the young Devlin began bristling, eyes narrowed and his anger fermenting as he saw how Sora desperately tried to awaken Bastion and how Syrus was slumbering peacefully as an ill-effect of the Duel Spirits invoked by the other boy. "Now, Happy Lover, attack!" The little fairy creature came up, spitting a large beam of red light that wasn't aiming for the monster it was supposed to. In fact, if the trajectory was right, it would hit… !

Benito growled, throwing himself in front of the others with his arms spread wide, but he needn't have bothered, not with the two flourished blades that intercepted the attack. On one side, his Mystic Swordsman scowled, sheathing his blade even as he glared daggers at the little monster from his position in front of his wielder, but that wasn't what made Jaden gasp, chocolate eyes going wide.

Standing there, his sword in his hand and having taken a firm stance in front of Sora and Bastion, was none other than Command Knight, and the Warrior-type monster looked pissed as all hell. /_You selfish duelist,_/ the monster stated, his voice just as quiet as his wielder's was, /_These humans haven't even done anything to you, yet in addition to putting them in danger from your reckless actions, you force them to suffer from the side effects of the duel you have consented to._/

/_Kuri, kur kur kuriiii!_/ Winged Kuriboh cried, obviously in agreement with the crimson-clad spirit. /_Kuri kur kuri?_/

/_He's doing well enough,_/ Command Knight murmured, obviously responding to a question the little furball had asked him. /_He wants to come back, but he still needs one more thing to happen before his transformation will be complete. He misses the two lights in his life very much and would send his love if he knew I had left him to return._/

/_Kuriiiiiiiiiii!_/ the Fiend-type monster squealed, whizzing around Jaden's head joyfully and then pausing to rub its body against his wielder's face.

"Aw, you seem happy, Kuriboh!" Jaden said, reaching up to scratch around the joint of those fuzzy white wings. "I hope that was some good news you got!"

/_Can we continue this duel now?_/ Mystic Swordsman asked tersely, his hand resting on the sword sheathed at his side. /_Benito and I are getting worried as to the state of the others when they surface from their Mokey-Mokey-induced stupor._/

"Fine by me, man," Belowski replied. "And now, Happy Lover, attack Wildheart! Gushy Burst!" The little fairy nodded, flapping up again and barfing up another stream of red light, the two duel spirits tensing in preparation to spring and block the light again, but their caution was unwarranted for the monster only directed its attack at the designated target, which merely backslapped the attack towards the other boy. "Aw man, look what you did to my little Mokey-Mokeys! Good thing my Smackdown card's still in effect, huh?" he asked sarcastically, "Now they all get 3000 attack points."

"This is not sweet," Jaden murmured, clenching his fist and trying to ignore the agitation of the two Warrior-type spirits behind him.

"Mokey-Mokey One, go get that Wildheart," the boy commanded, pointing. "Mokey-Mokey Dos, you're on the Sparkman."

The air, the Mokeys, hell even the _building_ began quaking with the simultaneous attack, but Benito stood firm in front of the other students though Sora had to crouch down further and press into Bastion to keep his bearings. _So long as Syrus is in danger, I will protect him,_ he thought, barely stopping himself from pitching over at a particularly-strong wavelength.

"That's enough!" Jaden yelled after E-Hero Wildheart burst into pieces. "Go, Hero Barrier! As long as I have at least one Elemental Hero on the field, this trap card lets me cancel one of your Mokey-Mokey attacks this turn!"

"Good job, Jaden," Sora congratulated, his eyes full of the intelligent spark they had been lacking since the duel against Dimitri. "You're still in this."

/_You have to win, Jaden,_/ Mystic Swordsman informed, standing up in one swift movement from where he'd kneeled to inspect the sleeping Syrus. /_Unless you defeat Belowski, the others will suffer permanent, dangerous effects from this duel._/

"Just what I need," Jaden muttered under his breath, "more pressure."

"Nice poke, man, but I still got one more Mokey," Belowski replied, not the least bit perturbed by the block. Once again, the shockwaves were strong, though neither Benito nor Sora had to move to keep themselves standing before the Sparkman was destroyed. "And now 'cause of Human Wave Tactics, I'm allowed to bring another Happy Lover for another go around, plus I'll play this way cool trap card, it's called Gift of the Mystic Elf, course it's not rap. Still, it's totally full of good karma, I get 300 points for each monster out." Jaden groaned while Belowski just smiled and cocked his head. "You're not looking too hot. You wanna take a burrito break or somethin'?"

"Maybe later," Jaden muttered, drawing. "Right now, I'm summoning Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"

"Whoa, man, I gotta say, I'm impressed," Belowski murmured, hand on his chin. "How do ya keep duelin' after all we put ya through?"

" 'Cause I don't give up!" Jaden cried, beaming, " 'specially in a duel this much fun!"

Benito groaned, slapping himself in the forehead. "Jaden, people's lives are on the line here," he muttered under his breath, Sora now sitting on the floor with his feet tucked up underneath him and Bastion's head pillowed on his thighs as he stroked the mathematician's hair worriedly. A nudge from his spirit partner had him sighing again, going over to Syrus and pulling the little bluenet into his arms while resisting the urge to make a face when Alexis cuddled up to his side as well.

Jaden continued easily."I'm gonna keep fighting to the end, especially now that Bubbleman's out 'cuz if he's the only one on my field when he's summoned, I get to draw two more cards from my deck, and now I'm gonna activate one of them, Hero Heart! It lets Bubbleman attack twice just so long as I cut his attack points in half! Now let's get to it! Bubbleman, attack Mokey-Mokey! Bubble Blast!"

"So not cool!" Belowski gasped as his monster was destroyed. "Oh, you did it now. Smackdown activates and gives them 3000 attack points each."

"That sounds like my kind of fight!" Jaden proclaimed. "Bubbleman, attack Mokey-Mokey again!" His monster leapt up loyally as Command Knight tensed worriedly. "And now I'll activate Bubble Illusion! You see, when Bubbleman's on the field and I play this, I get to activate a trap card that's in my hand, and what better trap card than Mirror Gate! Now all of our monsters switch sides! What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours!"

Sora sighed in relief as Belowski's Life Points hit zero from the attack of his own Mokey-Mokey. "It's over," he gasped, looking over at Benito. "Jaden won."

"Your brother chose a fine duelist," the Italian complemented, nodding his head before turning to the little Slifer in his arms. "Now, what do you say we wake these guys up again, hmm?"

The redhead nodded, turning to his duel spirit. "Command Knight, would you?" he asked, and the Warrior-type monster nodded, the two placing their hands on Bastion's forehead as the Princeton murmured "Awaken."

The mathematician's eyes fluttered open slowly. "What happened?" he groaned, turning his face to hide from the sunlight in Sora's yellow-clad stomach.

"Nothing important," the gamer answered, stroking his raven hair as he heard his duel spirit give a few words to Jaden and Winged Kuriboh before disappearing. "Bastion, why have you been avoiding me?"

The genius was delighted his fellow Ra had returned to a semblance of normal, though it was fairly obvious through the brushing nature of his touches that the youngest Princeton was still blind, but he was also ashamed to face him. "I lost to Jaden," he murmured. "Now I won't be able to find Chazz."

Sora chuckled. "Bastion, Chazz doesn't need anyone to find him," he replied gently. "Well, except for maybe Jaden, but that's just so that he'll have someone to love. No, _I'm _the one who needed to be found again."

"And who found you?" the ravenet asked curiously, looking up at the gamer's sightless, sparkling silver eyes.

A smile curled onto Sora's lips as he replied, "Why that would be _you_, Bastion."

* * *

><p>"<em>Chazz…" Jaden murmured with a soft smile on his face, snuggling up to the elder Princeton twin.<em>

"_What is it, slacker?" Chazz replied, stroking the fluffy chocolate locks where they weren't trapped beneath his own pale chin, the brunet having hidden his face in the crook of the ravenet's neck._

"_I love you," the Kuriboh-wielder whispered, pressing a kiss to the soft flesh beneath his lips._

"_I love you too, slacker," the Obelisk muttered, pressing a kiss to the orange crown on the other boy's head. "Always have, always will." He couldn't see it, but he knew Jaden was beaming from the way those soft lips curled upwards on his skin, and he chuckled softly. "Now shut up, you're ruining the moment."_

"_Okay!" the Slifer chirped, shifting closer still to the other boy, content to let life play out before them so long as they were together. The world could go to hell as far as they were concerned so long as they were together. So long as they were together._

* * *

><p>Translations from Kuriboh-ese:<p>

/_Yeah, I can't protect all of them!_/ Winged Kuriboh cried, obviously in agreement with the crimson-clad spirit. /_So, how is he?_/

/_Chazzzzzzzzzzz!_/ the Fiend-type monster squealed, whizzing around Jaden's head joyfully and then pausing to rub its body against his wielder's face.

* * *

><p>Chazz: ... Ugh, why is she back? I was enjoying my break.<p>

Bastion: Hey, she said she didn't want to give up on us!

Die: Besides, I just got finished with my finals. It's easy to write when I have what's left of a two-hour block to write!

Jaden: Yeah, you got almost half a chapter done in a day!

Die: And besides, Chazzy, you should be happy. The next chapter's all about you.

Chazz: ... I do like that...

Bastion: Of course you do.

Jaden: *beams* Read and review everyone! If you do, I'll let Kuriboh give you a great big hug!


	19. E24: The New Chazz

Black and Red

Happy holidays everyone! Here's my gift to you: a double update! Just for the record, I was working like mad to get this done in time, so I deserve some gratitude! Oh yeah, and since I have legit work to do over the holidays, I don't know if I'll be able to get another chapter up again, though I will try. In the meantime, please enjoy the new chapters!

* * *

><p>I did all the transcribing myself in a notebook for this chapter. I'm serious. I have a notebook with the entire contents of this chapter. Go me.<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episode 24. Its Japanese version translates to "Revival! Manjoume [Chazz] Thunder!".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, don't you think I would've added more yaoi to it?

* * *

><p>Chapter 24: The New Chazz<p>

"_Chazz! Chazz!"_

_The ravenet turned just in time to catch an armful of sobbing copper hair and pale limbs. "Sora?" he asked, brow furrowing in concern. "What's wrong?"_

"_It hurts, Chazz!" the youngest Princeton cried, his silver eyes squeezed shut as he clenched his nails into his twin's arms, "it hurts, it hurts, it _hurts_!"_

_The elder twin winced but didn't push his brother away. "Let me see," he commanded sharply, rubbing his hands reassuringly along the other's slender sides. At the sniffle and frantic shaking of copper locks, he sighed. "Sora, show me, I'm not going to let you get hurt again." Slowly, the boy pulled back, opening his jacket, the black leather bomber one Chazz had given him before he'd left, and pulling down the collar of his yellow shirt to reveal a crossed slash over his heart, blood and pus oozing from the wound. His jaw clenched in fury. "Who did this to you, Sora?" he growled. "Who?"_

_Silver eyes stared up at him sightlessly. "Water Dragon took away my support," he whimpered sadly, "but Jaden was the one to wind the spring that pushed me."_

* * *

><p>The spirit sat there in the chair, his gaze on the sword between his legs as he ran the whetstone over its length before turning to the man who had approached him. "You saved his life, you know," the man stated bluntly. "He would've drowned without you, and I doubt we would've found you two in time otherwise."<p>

The spirit nodded. /_I know that._/

/_Um, not to sound ungrateful or anything_,/ a squeaky voice asked timidly, a little yellow head peeking out from behind the man, /_but why'd you save Boss? He's not your boss._/

/_No, he's not,_/ the warrior acknowledged, sheathing his blade at his hip, /_but he's important to my own partner, so I _will _protect and guide him through his journey to find himself._/ He cast a look over to the blue-jacketed boy lying unconscious on the steel floor a ways beside them. /_I know you intend to test him,_/ he murmured, /_but he has some very important cards, among other things, around his neck. If you do anything to that pouch, I won't forgive you… and I imagine he won't either._/

"I'll keep that in mind," the man assured him as the Warrior-type monster disappeared into his card.

/_You'd better._/

* * *

><p>"I'll give you something far better; another chance to beat Jaden," the man stated, and Chazz could've sworn his heart stopped in his chest.<p>

"How do you know about him?" he spat, protective of his secret crush despite the doubt burning in his chest, brought about by the dream—and the angry red crescent moon son the skin of his arms. "Tell me!"

"You talk in your sleep."

Unbeknost to the Obelisk, two spirits were howling with laughter from their respective cards. /_Talk in his sleep!_/ a little voice gasped between bouts. /I'm _the one who told him about Boss' feelings!_/

/_Ah, but he _does _talk in his sleep,_/ a second voice corrected between chuckles. /_My partner and I found that out the hard way._/

/_Seriously? That's priceless!_/

Nothing like the banter of two duel spirits to make a heartfelt conversation meant to inspire into some good-natured teasing.

* * *

><p>Chazz couldn't help it. Imagining <em>anyone <em>in conditions like those was hard enough, but for some reason his brain decided to torture him by making it Sora and Jaden in the winters of the far north. He refused to leave them like that. "Aw, quiet your whining already, would ya baldy?" he snapped irritably. "I liked to you, I didn't just find forty cards, I found forty-one, an extra one so you could come in too."

"You mean I get to enter?" the other parroted, almost as if he didn't believe it. In all honesty, the ravenet didn't believe it either. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah, get over it," he huffed, "now take your stinkin' card." He reached into the fan of cards to pluck out the Ojama Yellow the creepy guy on the submarine had given him. "Don't make a big deal about it, okay?" When he tried to get rid of the monster, however, his hand kept veering aside.

"Huh? You gonna give it to me or not?"

"I can't!" he growled, glaring at the traitorous limb, "I can't let go!"

/_You can't give me away!_/ a cheerful voice squealed, its owner appearing before him in all its yellow Speedo-wearing glory. /_We're pals, chums, best friends forever! You know, BFFs!_/

There were a great many things the Princeton wanted to say to that, the majority of them colorful, but the only thing that managed to escape his lips, sadly, was "Huh? We are not!"

"What's going on?"

"Don't you see it?" he asked dumbly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it was! The thing was too ugly to not be immediately apparent!

"See what?"

/_Aw, Boss, you're the only one that can see me!_/ the little creature stated, waggling its butt under his nose.

"Go away!" he replied, having a gut feeling already that it was going to be just like Jaden—a pain in his ass.

/_Look, if we're gonna be partners, you need to stop being so uptight!_/

Yep, just like Jaden. "You're not real! Get lost!"

/_Get lost? funny you should say that; you know, I have two brothers who are lost! we really oughta find 'em for our deck!_/

He _really _must've pissed someone off in a past life to deserve this. "Quiet!" Giving up for the moment, he slipped the card back into the fan. "Y'know, never mind, that was the wrong card. Take this."

"Sure, whatever you say," the other gasped. "I really appreciate this, Mister…?"

"The name's Chazz Princeton, and don't you forget it," he huffed, irritable about the fact that this sniveling moron would _not _leave him along to think about his twin and his slacker in peace. "Actually, on second thought, _do_ forget it. I'd rather not have people associate me with you." He sauntered over, settling himself by the fire. "Now go ahead and get inside, 'the Chazz' likes to make his own entrance."

"Oh yes, certainly!" the man cried, running off. "Well, thanks again!"

"Thanks for nothing," the Princeton grumbled to himself, "I really only found forty cards, now I'm one short." _Now I'll _never _get back to them again._

All of a sudden, he heard joyful laughter, along with a gleeful "_I always knew you were a nice guy!_" Yep, looks like his hallucinary Jaden was back for round three, winner take all.

"Shut it!" he yelled self-consciously, wheeling to grab the brunet by his collar to (yank him in for a kiss) strangle him within an inch of his life.

"_And when you do something nice,_" Jaden informed him, sounding a little smug, though that could have just been because he was _Chazz's _imagination of him, "_nice things happen._"

Chazz couldn't help it. He laughed. "Thanks for the help, slacker," he murmured fondly, sliding the spell card from the ground into his deck. "Remind me to give you a kiss when I see you again."

* * *

><p>"You're the top duelist now. It's to you the school bows," Chancellor Foster stated as the students all bowed—and the man's phone rang. He fished the devise from his pocket. "Hello?" A pause filled the air. "How did you get this number?" The metal shook with the ire of whoever was on the other end, making the man wince and pale. "Yes sir, I'll arrange a video conference immediately." He snapped the phone shut, eyeing Chazz contemplatively. "You have friends in <em>very <em>high places, Chazz Princeton," he stated dryly, "now come."

"Huh?" he asked, the Obelisk trotting after the man's rapid stride. "Well, I already knew that, but who was it that called you?"

The man's mouth twitched as he flicked a switch on the fancy desk in the room he'd led them to before turning. "You'll find out," he replied ambiguously, closing the door behind him just in time for the viewscreen on the wall to come to life.

"Do you have _any _idea how many favors I had to call in _just _to hunt you down?" a familiar voice remarked casually. "you are a hard person to find, Chazz Princeton."

"Why no, Benito," Chazz replied with a smirk, settling himself in the leather desk chair and propping his boots up on the wood finish of the desk before him, "but I figured it would be no problem for the Devlin playboy of Venice."

"Of course you did, asshole," the Italian snorted. "And just for the record, I wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't had a hunch you'd turn up in the north."

"Oh? and how'd you figure that? Bastion tell you that in return for you laying off my little brother?" The question may have been sarcastic, but the ravenet Princeton craved news of his twin.

"No," the Devlin responded, "he's been wooing Sora all on his own."

/_Actually,_/ a soft voice murmured from behind the Italian, /_it was I who located you._/

Chazz nearly fell out of the chair. "You have one too?" he yelped, staring at Mystic Swordsman.

Benito chuckled. "Why, do you?"

Ojama Yellow decided to appear right about then. /_Sure does! Boss and I are friends to the end!_/

"Shut up!" he growled, moving to swat the spirit away when Mystic Swordsman said something that made him pause.

/_Sora has one too._/

The Princeton swallowed hard. "Who was it?"

Before Benito or his spirit card could answer, brown fur covered the screen accompanied by a high-pitched /_!_/

/_Kuriboh_,/ a gentle voice stated, /_get away from the screen. We can't see through you, you know._/

/_Command Knight,_/ Mystic Swordsman greeted onced Benito pulled Winged Kuriboh back by its wings, the Warrior-type monsters putting their right hands over their hearts and bowing. /_It is good to see you again_./

/_And you_./

"So," Chazz queried in faux casualty, "how's Sora been? He hasn't been getting into any trouble, has he?"

Benito bit his lip. "You'll see when you get here for the School Duel."

Chazz's heart sank to his stomach.

* * *

><p>Chazz: I finally get the attention I deserve!<p>

Bastion: Yeah, at the expense of the rest of us!

Chazz: Meh, minor details.

Jaden: I want a puppy!

Die: I want a hug so that I can forget the sound of Kuriboh having an orgasm! (which I learned through this chapter. Thanks brain. Thanks a lot. I will NEVER unhear that sound...)

Bastion: *hugs Die*

Die: *falls into puddle of goo*

Jaden: Do us all a favor and review!

Chazz: I'll give you a card if you do!

Jaden: DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!


	20. E25&26: A War Worth Winning

Black and Red

Hello again everybody! Yeah, you probably thought I gave up on this story, but not yet! The truth is, I'm pretty sure this was one of, if not the, longest chapter I've written for this series yet. That and my computer got a horrible virus that completely knocked it out for two days while I tried to fix it before I took it to a professional to completely fix it. Point is, life decided to shit all over me when it came to writing this chapter, but that's okay because I finally got it done, and I promise I'll answer reviews very soon!

Please also read the companion story, **Gold and Silver**, and the two oneshots that go with this story as well!

* * *

><p>I did the transcribing myself, again, so yay me!<p>

This is the translation of the Japanese titles for Episodes 25 and 26. The English-dub instead uses "The School Duel, Part One" and "The School Duel, Part Two", but my own title for this chapter is "A War Worth Winning".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. If I did, Slade and Jagger would have been eaten by lions.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2526: VS Manjoume [Chazz] Thunder Part 1, Threat of Armed Dragon and VS Manjoume Thunder Part 2 – Armed Dragon LV7, or "A War Worth Winning"

"Come on, Sora!" Benito urged, tugging on his friend's hands as the redhead remained firmly planted at the table in the Ra cafeteria where Bastion had left him behind, "you _have _to come with me to meet the North Academy students!"

"No," the Princeton murmured softly. "Bastion left me here to wait for him, and wait I shall. Go on without me, Benito."

The Devlin let out a low growl. "Come _on_, Bastion could be there for _hours_! The submarine only comes once, and you're gonna miss it if we don't go _now!_"

The gamer sighed. "Fine fine, but you owe me, okay?" he allowed, getting up.

The Italian nodded, dragging the sightless boy. "Yes yes, but first we have to get there!" In front of him, Mystic Swordsman urged him on, eager beyond all reason to do some good for their friend.

Sora stumbled over a dip in the ground, his eyes flying shut, and he saw no reason to open them again as he was yanked around like a ragdoll, especially since it wasn't as if he could see where he was going anyway. "How much further do we have to go anyway?" he asked impatiently.

"Just over this ridge, and stop!" the ravenet replied, throwing out his hand. "Now open your eyes, Sora, and try really hard to see."

* * *

><p>"Okay, so I take the square root of lust and multiply that by the inverse of infatuation, divide by time and factor in attractiveness to-" Bastion dropped the marker in his hand, his brown eyes wide as he stared at the answer he'd just written out in his smooth calligraphy. "Is it… possible?" he murmured, tentatively reaching forward to brush his fingertips along the dried ink. "Could I be… in love with Sora?"<p>

* * *

><p>"So come on, come on, when do I meet my opponent?"<p>

Chazz would have known that voice, that enthusiasm, anywhere, and he permitted a small grin to flit across his lips before he forced it into a smirk. "Right now, slacker."

Jaden froze, eyes wide before he darted around the two chancellors eagerly. "Chazz! You're okay!" Ignoring the crowd of students gathered around them, he bounded up onto the sub's deck and grabbed the pale boy's hands, grinning like he'd just been given the best present ever.

Silver and chestnut met each other for a long moment before Chazz removed himself from the other's grip, turning his gaze up to the hillside before a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Sora, open your eyes! Sora!"

It couldn't be… yet it was. Slowly, ever so slowly, crimson lashes fluttered open for pupils to dilate with the sunlight for the first time in days. "Chazz!" the youngest Princeton yelled, delight in his eyes as he ran to his twin's side.

"Sora," the elder grunted, a little winded by the tight hug he'd been given by his brother, but his hand fell to the other boy's back. "I missed you too."

Jaden grinned, attaching himself to Chazz's other arm when Sora pulled back. "So I get to duel ya before you go back? Sweetness!" The brunet couldn't help it; he felt better clinging to the ravenet than he had during the entire time Chazz had been gone.

The eldest Princeton twin chuckled wryly, allowing the two to cuddle into his side before his silver eyes widened at the sight of something they couldn't gleam, and he pushed Jaden aside just in time of a large gust of wind to bellow around them.

"Hi Chazz!"

"What's going on, little brother? I hope you won't mind if we drop in."

Chazz's jaw tightened so much his teeth began to hurt. "Slade! Jagger! Why are you here?" He fiercely regretted having to push Jaden away, and the thought of pounding the two to a pulp for the way his little brother cowered against his side was all the more encouragement to him.

"Why else? To celebrate your big dueling victory! You are going to win, right Chazz?" Slade's tone was harsh on that last bit, a command rather than a question.

Jagger smirked. "And how are you doing, little Sora? Still slacking off, I see."

Both Princeton twins flinched at that, and Jaden felt a spark of fury appear in his heart. _How dare they! _he seethed inwardly. _Chazz is one of the best duelists I know, and I'd imagine Sora isn't bad either! I swear, if they keep him so cowed, I'm going to- _He blinked here, unsure of exactly what he would do before the thought was driven from his mind by the commotion of the camera crew that seemingly popped out of nowhere to antagonize them.

"Come on, Sora," Chazz stated, tugging on his brother's wrist, "we have catching up to do before my duel."

"R-right," the redhead stuttered, trotting off after the ravenet. "Later Jaden! Tell Bastion I'm okay, would you?"

"Sure thing!" he answered with as big of a smile as he could manage. As soon as he was sure the attention wasn't on him, however, he childishly kicked at a rock. "Dammit, that mask is back again!" he growled to himself and a sympathetic Winged Kuriboh keeping watch a little ways beside his head. "Just when I was starting to get through it too!"

/_Kuri kur kur kuri!_/ the little duel spirit exclaimed, fluttering its wings as it attempted to help its wielder.

"You're right, Kuriboh," the brunet sighed, tipping his head back. "I'm just gonna have to tear it back down again once this is all over. I _can't _lose him again."

* * *

><p>Benito bit his lip, walking forward. "Syrus?" he mumbled, "can I talk to you for a minute?"<p>

"Sure thing," the little bluenet replied, getting up from his seat and following after the Italian down the hall a little ways so that they were some distance from everyone else. "What's wrong, Benito?"

The Warrior-duelist sighed. "I have to leave now," he confessed softly. "Uncle's having some trouble with the business, so I'll have to step in for him."

"You can't even stay for the School Duel?" the Truesdale asked.

The Devlin shook his head, raven locks scattering about with the motion. "The plane leaves in five minutes, I won't have the time."

Syrus blushed. "Oh. Well then, do you know when you'll be back?" At another shake of the Italian's head, he looked down. "It was nice talking to you then. I guess I'll see you around… or not."

"Dammit, this wasn't what I brought you out here for!" Benito growled, his hand darting out to snatch the smaller boy's arm by the wrist, jerking him close. He reached into his pocket to pull out something, and Syrus gasped and closed his eyes before he felt something tickle his arm. Tentatively, he peeked out from beneath his lashes to see a concentrated look on the Devlin's face as he wrote a series of numbers on the boy's arm in black marker. "This is my personal cell phone number," Benito said firmly, tapping the other's arm in emphasis of his words. "Usually I don't give this out to anyone, but I'm gonna make an exception just this once. I'll try to call when I know you're awake and not in school, but you're welcome to call me any time since I can't really guarantee there'll be any specific time I'll be awake, so I'll just put up no restrictions whatsoever so you won't feel guilty if you forget where I am and call me at three in the morning."

Syrus blushed heavily as his arm was released. "Th-thanks," he stuttered, staring into those swirling blue-green eyes.

"No problem," Benito replied, ruffling the sky locks before turning away, waving absently. "Later Sy."

"La-later Benito!"

* * *

><p>"You set it up, didn't you? This broadcast?" Chazz demanded hotly from his seat, facing a seated Jagger and a standing Slade, while Sora leaned against the door behind him, one combat boot firmly pressed up against the wood to keep the world firmly shut out of this Princeton family conversation.<p>

"Well of course we did," Slade scoffed, turning his head to glare at the twins. "We need the whole world to see you're on your way to becoming Duel Monsters' best. It's all part of the plan."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Chazz replied, his mind on the disappointed face Jaden would make if he ever found out _this _was why he dueled.

"Look, world domination is ours for the taking if we all do our part, Chazz!" Jagger growled, conveniently forgetting about the redhead whose silver eyes flashing dangerously from his position.

"And we have," Slade confirmed. "Now it's your turn, brother, to conquer the world of Duel Monsters, to be the best, and to not give up."

Chazz's face fell slightly, the only indication of his inward wince at the memories of however many times Sora would come crying into his bed because he'd quit the various extracurricular sports and such their parents would sign them up for, the redhead huddling against his side as they curled up together underneath Chazz's comforter.

"Did you really think you could get away from your duties and away from us by dropping out of Duel Academy?" Jagger demanded hotly.

"Obviously not if you two managed to figure out he was North Academy's representative," Sora spat harshly from the doorway, his hand against the empty pocket of his cargo pants, the one that used to hold his deck.

"Stay out of this, Sora," Slade ordered firmly, the tone of his voice pushing the youngest of them back against the door, even if that copper hair still seemed to be bristling like a cat's.

"I- uh-"

"Don't deny it!" Jagger yelled, getting to his feet at Chazz's non-answer. "You and your twin have always been the slackers of this family! The only reason you're here is because Sora's too useless to do much of anything other than those stupid games of his while _you_ on the other hand can at least function in the real world!"

"It doesn't matter!" Slade barked, focusing on trying to restore some semblance of peace even as Chazz shifted himself in front of the cringing form of his twin. "The point is, Chazz, you can still turn it around. You can still show them we're supreme."

"That's right, and the dueling cards in this briefcase are gonna help you do just that," Jagger continued, hefting up a black case before thumping it down on the table.

Sora's hands fisted at his side before he edged the door open, slipping out and letting it fall back into place. Jagger would never notice he was gone, and as for Slade… well... the youngest and the eldest Princeton may have gotten along better, but it was still by no means perfect and Slade wouldn't say anything about Sora not being there.

* * *

><p>Mystic Swordsman appeared in front of him in the private jet just as he was sipping at the flue of spring water he'd requested from the stewardess. _Was it really so wise for you to have just _left _him there without even telling him about your feelings?_/ the monster questioned sharply.

"Relax, would you?" the Devlin replied, waving his free hand as he set the glass down in its depression. "I gave him my number, and besides, I need to make sure this isn't some passing fling."

/_And just how are you going to do that?_/ the warrior asked confusedly.

"Simple," the duelist answered, smirking. "I'm gonna make it a long-distance one. If I'm still in love with him the next time we see each other, I'll tell him how I feel."

/_But why?_/ the spirit persisted. /_You've never done that before to anyone you've ever felt attracted to._/

"I know," the Italian murmured, averting his gaze, "but for some reason, I can't bear the thought of breaking his heart just to satisfy mine."

* * *

><p>"Man up, Chazz!" the ravenet growled, slamming his fist into the tile wall beside the mirror as he tried to psyche himself up for his duel so that he could protect Sora and Jaden from his older brothers. "Man up!" He leaned over the sink, fists clenched as he tried so very hard not to be violently ill from his roiling emotions. "Come on, show them that Chazz Princeton is no slacker, that you're worthy of the Princeton name!" Tired of fighting back the traitor tears at his eyelids, he sunk to the floor, barely keeping his face from hitting the dirty tile by clinging to the edge of the sink of whitened knuckles. "That you can win, and that you can keep winning over and over, the best! You- you've got to do your part, Chazz, you've got to show them that you're supreme! It's your duty!" He was on all fours and gasping now, barely getting the words out, but that was okay, it was fine, so long as he could keep up with the monologue in his head. "It's the plan! Now go and win! Go and win! Go and win!"<p>

Suddenly, there were warm arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him up against a firm chest as his tears were brushed away by gentle fingers. "Chazz," a familiar voice whispered in anguish, turning him around so that he fit better inside the embrace he had been pulled inside. "Oh Chazz…"

He couldn't help it. The tears just overflowed then as he turned his face into the strong shoulder beside him, his arms gripping them close as he let out all the frustration, all the pain—all eight or so years of it. He felt the gentle strokes being applied to his hair, the careful fingers combing through his soft raven locks, and accepted the comfort it offered him, slight as it was towards filling the hole in his heart chiseled out by his elder brothers.

"Shh, Chazz, shhh," the other crooned, tipping the Princeton's head back to turn those watery silver eyes into strong chestnut. "You're safe now, they're gone." A small smile came from lips more used to a wide grin. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone."

Chazz's tongue darted out to break his lips. "That's where you're wrong, Jaden," he murmured, surprising himself with how strong his voice was in the current moment. "I do. I have to prove to my brothers that I'm worth it, that I'm good enough for them, not for me but for Sora. I'm the only one who stands between them and Sora, and I'm tired of it, I'm so fucking tired of it, but there's nothing else I can do 'cause no one's here to help me, and I just have to keep getting back up when I get knocked down so that Sora doesn't get pushed down since he wouldn't be able to get back up."

"You'd be surprised how strong Sora's gotten," the Yuki informed him wryly, resting their foreheads against each other. "Bastion's doing a lot of good on him and keeping him safe, and besides, if I'd've known sooner, I would've been here to keep you safe." Chazz opened his mouth to protest, but Jaden cut him off. "I won't let them hurt you again, Chazz. I won't let anyone hurt you if I have anything to say about it."

"Jaden," the Princeton murmured, but the brunet wasn't done, leaning in to seize the ravenet's mouth in a fierce kiss. Chazz moaned, his fingers tightening in Jaden's red jacket as their lips moved over each other for a moment in time that seemed frozen for the both of them until they parted, panting fiercely from the kiss that hadn't gone any more than skindeep. Silver eyes met chocolate for a minute, lost in their swirling depths, before a smirk quirked up the corners of Chazz's lips. "Come on, slacker, you still owe me a rematch."

"Okay," Jaden mumbled, stealing another quick kiss from the other's boy before running off, "but if anything happens to you because of how our duel turns out, there will be _hell _to pay."

* * *

><p>"Chazz, no!" Sora yelled, on his feet as he watched his twin a monster fall to pieces. The rest of the Duel Academy students were on their feet, delighted at the fall of the one who had been all too happy to look down his nose at them, but the redhead himself was not cheering. He was running to the side of the duelist on his knees.<p>

"Chazz, you loser, you dog, you've disgraced yourself!" Slade scolded, scowling. "You've disgraced the Princeton name!"

"You are no brother of ours anymore," Jagger growled, glaring at the youngest of the four, who was helping the ravenet to his feet, his hips slightly behind the elder twin's. "It would be one thing to lose to Sora, he's family, but another thing _entirely_ to lose to the likes of _Jaden Yuki_."

"Give me another chance," Chazz panted, trying to keep his younger sibling out of the line of fire.

"Another chance? Do you know how much we spent on this duel?" Jagger snarled back.

"The cameras, the rare cards, _none of which you used_ I might add!" Slade bolstered.

"He didn't exactly _ask_ you to interfere, you did all that yourselves!" Sora shot back, defending his twin.

"Stay out of this you useless piece of shit!" Jagger instructed harshly, causing the redhead to cower slightly behind Chazz as he let out a little whimper.

"Sorry," Chazz panted, sounding both defeated and exasperated, "I thought I could win this by myself."

"Yourself?" Jagger yelled, snatching the youngest ravenet up by the collar of his jacket.

"When could you do anything by yourself, Chazz?" Slade demanded.

"Stop it!" Sora cried, his hands gripping the middle Princeton's arm on either side of the elbow. "You're hurting him!"

"I thought I told you to stay out of this you useless little bitch!" Jagger roared, backhanding the redhead to the ground.

"Let him go!" Jaden demanded, having only then escaped, his friend's congratulations to rescue Chazz from his brothers, Bastion darting out from him to Sora's side. "Sure, he lost, but how could he not with you two jerks breathing down his neck?" The ravenet in question gasped worriedly, not wanting his elder brothers turning on the naïve brunet.

"Two jerks? Do you have any idea who we are? We could have you crushed, kid." Jagger still hadn't let go of Chazz.

The young Slifer bristled. "I know enough, now _let go of him_."

"Are you okay?" Bastion whispered softly, offering a hand to his fellow Ra.

"Fine," the redhead replied shakily, obviously fighting back tears. "I'm fine, Bastion."

"Why defend Chazz anyhow?" Slade asked, mildly curious. "He's a nobody now, disowned by us and by the whole world. I mean, the cameras caught enough of it. he got schooled! He got mopped up!"

Jaden grew angrier at the slightest hint of fright he could see in Chazz's silver eyes, not realizing it was for him instead of the Princeton himself.

"That's right!" Jagger snarled, pushing in closer as his little brother winced. "And then worst of all, he got beat!"

"Wrong!" Jaden declared, fighting everything he knew not to yank Chazz into his arms and run away with him. "There's one fight he did win, the fight against you two! Sure, Chazz may not have won the duel, but hey, at least he fought it on his own terms! It's like he said: He used his cards, not what your money could buy!"

Sora shyly peeked out from behind his collar at the brunet's encouraging words, revealing the reddening handprint already blooming on his cheek, and at the sight of the angry skin, Bastion felt his own fury burn and he pulled the redhead behind him protectively, even as Chazz was released to the ground, Jaden darting forward to catch him. "Get off me, slacker," the ravenet hissed lightly, giving half-hearted shoves to the other boy's crimson jacket. "You're making a scene."

"I don't care," Jaden replied firmly. "I'm not letting you go until I'm sure you're safe."

"Come on, Chazz," Sora murmured from behind Bastion's shoulder, their hands clasped together with neither boy noticing, "it could be worse. Just let someone protect you for a change, okay? You don't always need to be the strong one, but you're not weak in accepting help when you really need it."

The elder Princeton twin stared at his copper-haired counterpart for a long moment where those behind him almost thought he would shove the Yuki off before he sighed. "All right, Sora, I'll do it." None of them noticed that both elder ravenets had left moments earlier, but the four didn't care either. For the first time in a _very _long time, Chazz and Sora were finally safe somewhere other than with each other.

* * *

><p>"Well, Chazz, I guess this is goodbye," Jaden stated sadly, fighting hard to keep himself from bursting into tears. <em>Don't go, Chazz, please, you only just got here, and I don't want to watch you leave again.<em> "Don't forget to write."

Sora clung to his twin's arm, trying hard to hide a grin behind the collar of his black leather bomber jacket. "Jaden, I'm not going back," Chazz informed them all, his chin held high. He had slunk off originally to try to nurse his wounded pride, but after hearing a few snippets of what his twin had done, he had realized that there was no shame in remaining at Duel Academy. "Look guys, I don't belong with you," he stated over his shoulder to the dumb-struck kids on the submarine.

"And where do you belong?" a Russian voice asked.

"Right here, Duel Academy was always my home." He chuckled wryly, looking down at the cheeky redhead pressed against his side. "After all, it seems I'm the only one who can keep a proper eye on my mentally-disturbed little brother." Sora didn't say anything to rebuke that, instead sticking his tongue out at the ravenet and striding over to Bastion, standing beside the mathematician calmly. "If Chancellor Sheppard will have me back that is. If not, I guess I'll just have to drag us both back to North Academy."

"Well Chazz," the cheerful man said with a delighted grin, "you were one of the best students we ever had, how could I say no?" If anything, his smile seemed to grow bigger. "Besides, your brother has taken quite a shine to a certain philosopher on campus, and who would I be to separate such a strong bond simply because the two of you refuse to leave each other's sides again?"

Sora nodded, releasing his twin's arm to run to Bastion's side, the genius easily catching the smaller boy and wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling him to his side. "Thank you, Chancellor," the Princeton murmured, snuggling up to the ravenet's side. "It means a lot. To the both of us."

"I'm grateful too," the Misawa confessed softly. "It'll be nice to have things back to something close to normal." Shyly, he took Sora's hand in his, the gesture meaning a lot more to him since the last time they'd done it now that he was aware he loved the slender redhead.

"Don't get used to it," Chazz huffed, just as prickly as ever. "If I even get a _hint _that something inappropriate is going on between you and my little brother, I will tear you limb from limb, and if you hurt him, I will make you wish you had never been born."

"I got the picture," Bastion claimed, holding up his hands placatingly. "Don't worry, I promise Sora will be safe with me!"

"Chazz!" the redhead scolded, a blush highlighting his cheekbones, "I already told you not to intimidate my friends!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm working on it," the ravenet replied, brushing away his twin's concerns with a wave of his hand. "Now go on and see the mysterious prize before I barf from all the friendship crap." Sora grinned, glad that he could essentially have his cake and eat it too now that his brother was staying at Duel Academy, and happily allowed Bastion to lead him away, the two Ras still connected even as they were jostled about by the crowd. Chazz rolled his eyes melodramatically at Jaden, the sole person lingering behind and who had an odd look on his face. "He's my little brother, what am I supposed to do with him?" he asked sarcastically, shrugging.

The brunet chuckled, scuffing his shoes against the concrete dock. "I'm glad you're staying, Chazz," he confessed sheepishly, one hand coming up behind his head. "I really missed ya, ya know?"

The Princeton smirked, leaning forward to quickly connect his lips to the Yuki's. "I know," he replied, tucking one hand in his pocket. "I missed you too, slacker." Jaden beamed at him for a brief moment before he ran off at Syrus' call, exuberantly denying that he was leaving the little bluenet behind, and Chazz just chuckled again. It felt good to be home again.

* * *

><p>_It's time_./

"Sora," Chazz called, instantly getting everyone's attention, "I have something for you." The Ra blinked in confusion as his twin fished around in the waterproof pouch around his neck that he'd removed from inside his shirt. "I figured you would want this back."

"Command Knight!" the redhead cried at the familiar card. "Oh, I thought I'd lost him forever, thank you Chazz!" His brother just chuckled wryly, ruffling his copper hair affectionately with no more words needing to be shared between the two.

"There is one thing, Chazz," Chancellor Sheppard stated, reluctant to break up the cute scene playing out before them.

"What's that?"

"Since you have dropped out of Duel Academy and are now coming back, you are technically a new student," Professor Banner stated, his hand resting lightly on Pharaoh's back, "and therefore must start from the bottom, at Slifer red."

Sora couldn't help it. He began giggling at his brother's over-reaction. "Slifer? I changed my mind! Turn the sub around!"

Jaden shot the ravenet his best puppy-dog pout. "So you're really gonna leave me alone again, Chazz?"

The elder Princeton twin froze. "That wasn't what I- I mean, I'm not- Shut up, slacker!" That last declaration was accompanied by a good cuff upside the brunet's head as Chazz crossed his arms petulantly.

"Aw, I like you too!" the Yuki chirped cheerfully, grinning like a maniac. Silver eyes rolled predictably before they widened at unexpected weight on his shoulder. "Who's that, Chazz?" Jaden asked, gesturing to the little silver dragon perched on the black-clad male.

"I don't know, slacker," Chazz answered, glaring daggers at the creature. Why did this dragon insist on following him around?

The drake's feathers shifted before it nipped three cards out of its perch's pouch, fluttering over to Sora and depositing the cards in front of him before disappearing. The redhead blinked, picking them up before he chuckled. "Looks like I'll be making a new deck after all if Horus the Black Flame Dragon has anything to say about it."

* * *

><p>A light knock at the door had Chazz's brow furrowing as he put away his toothbrush. <em>Now who could that be at this time of night?<em> he wondered, opening the door of his dorm to see his twin brother standing on the other side of it wearing a long yellow tee-shirt and a pair of fluffy red pajama pants while he clutched a pillow to his chest.

Sora scowled at the ravenet's single raised eyebrow in a silent question. "I couldn't sleep, all right?" he confessed grumpily, the late hour getting to him.

Chazz chuckled, stepping to the side so that the redhead could enter. "We're not little kids anymore, you know," he pointed out.

"Shut up, I know that," Sora muttered. He threw his pillow down on the mattress and crawled under the blanket, turning his silver eyes onto the desk lamp in a glare sharp enough to suggest he was attempting to turn it off using the force.

The ravenet rolled his eyes, a smile teasing at the edges of his lips as he turned off the light and settled under the covers. "I missed you too."

* * *

><p>Jaden sighed, feeling rather restless beneath his blankets. _Kuri kur kuri?_/ his duel spirit asked gently.

"I don't know, Kuriboh," he murmured sheepishly, "I don't think he'd like that all too much…"

/_Kuri kur kur kuri!_/ the little fiend-type monster cooed.

The Slifer grinned. "You're right, Kuriboh, I won't know until I try, right?" Taking heart in that, he got out of bed and went towards the door. He always did prefer snuggling into something warm, and if that something was a certain raven-haired Slifer, well, he had no problem with that, no problem at all.

* * *

><p>Bastion hadn't realized how big and lonely his bed was without Sora's warm body curled up against his own underneath the covers. He had been tossing and turning all night, fluffing his pillow in a vain attempt to track down the elusive Sandman, but to no avail. He just couldn't sleep. Scowling, he threw off the blankets, grabbing his Ra jacket and starting for the door. It didn't take him but a moment to find Sora's door, another to unlock it with the spare key taped above the doorway, and then his brow furrowed when he saw the youngest Princeton was absent from his bed.<p>

Genius that he was, it didn't take his full mental abilities to figure out where the redhead had gone. He tugged his yellow jacket closer about him, sighing heavily as he snuck out of the dorm and crossed the campus to the rickety old structure that was the Slifer red dorm. From there, he had to focus hard to remember the dorm room number his fellow Ra had given him about where his twin was staying, but he managed it and snuck into the room.

The Brit paused at the endearing sight of the two Princeton siblings balled up beside each other, comfortable but clearly not cuddling like romantic partners would. They were just close siblings, and that was endearing to anyone who had a heart. Finding himself dozing at the soothing sounds of the two breathing, he grabbed a cot from against the wall and settled himself down on it, finding it easy to fall asleep now that he was close to Sora again with the reassurance of the other Ra's presence.

* * *

><p>Jaden opened the door to Chazz's room, the one Winged Kuriboh had led him to, blinking in surprise at the lump under the covers of the cot pressed beside the mattress on the floor. Or well, to be more specific, the <em>lumps <em>underneath the blankets. Bastion lay on his back, sprawled out over the cot, Sora nestled up to his side and barely remaining on the small blue mesh, his head resting on the ravenet's shoulder and his chest pressed against the other boy's side even as his single visible arm draped over the genius' waist.

Chazz, meanwhile, was balled up on the mattress, one arm stretching across the expanse as if searching for something and his body hiding under a multitude of fabrics for warmth. _Who would've guess Chazz could be such a cover hog?_ the brunet thought, smiling gently. He yawned softly, stretching his arms over his head and wincing slightly at the sound of cracking from the joints he inadvertently popped. Without thinking a second thought about it, he climbed onto the mattress beside the ravenet Princeton, tugging on a corner of the blankets swathed around Chazz to try to keep himself warm inside the chilly room, no doubt made that way by the crappy ventilation and the fact that the insulation left a lot to be desired.

To his surprise, Chazz wrapped an arm around the intruder in his bed, surrendering some of his treasure to Jaden as he instead soaked up some of the other boy's warmth. A knowing smile twitched at Jaden's lips as he stared up at the chin of the dark-haired boy beside him before he turned onto his side and cuddled up to Chazz's side, tucking himself into the comfortable curve and wrapping his arms around the Princeton. Chazz, and Sora too, had suffered so much over the years… They deserved to have someone who loved them.

In his sleep, a confident smirk appeared on Chazz's lips even as Sora let out a sleepy mutter, wriggling closer to the center of the cot before settling once more and hiding a contented smile against the collarbone beside him.

* * *

><p>Die: Phew, that's that done!<p>

Chazz: ... You make me seem like such a softie.

Die: *opens mouth to reply only to dart for the bathroom*

Jaden: Wha-?

Bastion: She's got the stomach flu.

Jaden: Ah.

Die: *comes back in* Please review. It'll make me feel better.

Bastion: We'll also get you a copy of Horus the Black Flame Dragon!

Chazz: ... I hate that dragon so much...

Jaden: *pats his head*

Die: *runs off again* Until next time, readers!


	21. E27&28: A Cause Worth Fighting

Black and Red

Okay, I know this chapter is really short, but the truth is… the Shadow Rider arc is about to start and boost the word counts, and besides, the last chapter was exceptionally long anyway. Furthermore, these two episodes have none of the main characters except for Jaden, which does jack shit for my pairings. As a result, I'm gonna let it alone more or less and build up the next chapter! In the meantime, I'm gonna go back to my Pandora Hearts fic Miscalculation for now...

Please also read the companion story **Black and Red** and the oneshots that go along with this story.

* * *

><p>No transcribing, yay.<p>

This is the title of the English-dub for Episodes 27 and 28. Its Japanese version translates to "An Extra-Curricular Class is a Shadow Duel! (Part One)" and "An Extra-Curricular Class is a Shadow Duel! (Part Two)", but my own personal title for these chapters is "A Cause Worth Fighting"

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and I never will.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2728: Grave Risk, Part One and Grave Risk, Part Two, or "A Cause Worth Fighting"

Chazz awoke slowly, not particularly _wanting _to be awake, not with that wonderful warmth snuggling into his side, but because there was something that told him he _needed _to be up. Letting out a tired groan, he lifted his head from the pillow, supporting himself on a forearm, which was pleasantly warmed by the body nestled in his arms. Blearily, he blinked open his silver eyes, feeling a sense of accomplishment that his twin was choosing to sleep so close to him, something he hadn't done since they were very little.

Wait… he could see there was a cot pulled up beside the bed, Bastion sprawled across the majority of it with familiar copper hair fanning over his yellow Ra jacket and the slender body cuddled up to his side. So if Sora was down there on the floor with Bastion, then who was- Chazz let out a yelp, twisting around to stare at the body sharing his bed with him.

… _How the hell did Jaden Yuki get into my room?_ he fumed, his muscles stiff before they relaxed in one conclusive moment. He may not have been expecting it, but well… there were worse things for him to wake up to. With that thought in mind, he settled himself back down on the bed, one hand coming up to trace meaningless patterns onto the other boy's skin.

"Mmmm," the brunet hummed sleepily, squirming slightly, "Stoppit, 'azz, that tickles, I'm tryin' t'sleep."

The pale hand paused in its movements. _How… how did he know it was me even when he was asleep? _the ravenet wondered, brow pinching together with his confusion.

" 'azz," Jaden mumbled, snuggling closer to the other boy with a hint of his usual smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "hn, love you."

Silver eyes went wide with the confession before he shook his head, midnight spikes bouncing slightly with the force of the movement. _Calm down, Princeton, he's dreaming, he doesn't know what he's talking about._ Still, that didn't stop him from draping an arm over the Slifer's waist and rest his chin on the tan shoulder of his crush.

On the floor, Sora was finally coming to, both Princetons more than used to sleeping lightly since their brothers were assholes enough to sneak into the rooms of the youngest two and go snooping. The redhead yawned, propping himself up with his arms and stretching like a cat, somehow managing to balance himself without toppling off the cot or putting weight on Bastion. Both of the Princeton twins may have had slender bodies reminiscent of a dagger, but they were also more than used to knowing how to manipulate their limbs to be comfortable in confined, awkward spaces.

/_Morning Boss!_/ a cheerful voice chirped, and for a brief moment, Chazz was equally split between killing the owner or himself, /_Morning Captain, what'cha gonna do today since the Boss and I will be busy movin' in?_/

Sora turned to look at the little yellow spirit hovering over his twin's shoulder. "I don't know," he stated, shrugging. "Whatever Bastion feels like doing, I guess."

Chazz frowned. "You shouldn't orient your life around just one person, Sora," he said disapprovingly.

"Like you're one to talk," the redhead scoffed. "Besides, Bastion doesn't mind staying with me. He's done more than that over the past few weeks."

"More?" the ravenet yelped, struggling to escape Jaden's hold, "What do you mean, _more_?"

/_Relax, Chazz, Bastion did nothing inappropriate to him._/

"Chazz, Command Knight!" Sora whined, "don't you have any faith in me?"

"I have faith in you," Chazz replied, glaring daggers at the elder Ra, "it's Bastion I don't trust."

The gamer just groaned, burying his head in the warm pillow beneath his cheek. Unfortunately for him, he managed to nudge awake the other boy. "Sora?" the Brit muttered, cracking his eyes open and looking down at the Princeton snuggling into his shoulder, "what's going on?"

"Nothing important, Chazz is just being an ass," the redhead answered, his words coming out a little muffled from the fabric in front of his mouth but still somewhat understandable. "You can go back to sleep."

"I'm awake now, there's no point." The genius fought back a yawn, sitting up and causing the younger boy to slide into his lap since he refused to sit up with him. "Sora, come on, it's time to get up." The other, however, just let out an incoherent hum. Bastion shrugged, used to his fellow Ra's general dislike for movement first thing in the morning, and tightened his arms around the redhead. "All right then, if you don't feel like going to see the day, the day's going to come to you!"

"Nooooo!"

Chazz frowned, moving to get up to chase after his younger twin, protective even though he knew there had been amusement in those silver eyes as the elder Ra had carried him off. "They make a cute couple, don't they?" He froze, looking down to see sparkling chocolate eyes.

"Who?"

"Bastion and Sora."

"Hn, I guess," the Princeton answered grumpily, not entirely willing to admit he agreed since he didn't want to watch his little brother grow up quite so fast.

He received a blinding smile for his efforts. "You wanna know another cute couple?"

"Not particularly."

"We would."

The ravenet's protest died in his throat. "Jaden…" Whatever he was about to say again got lost as the warm body in his arms snuggled closer. "I suppose we would, slacker."

The brunet made a noise of delight, tightening his arms around Chazz and rubbing his nose into the pale collarbone before him. "I'm so glad you're back, Duel Academy's really boring without you around."

A warm, proud feeling flooded into the Princeton with that declaration. "Of course it is," he huffed, wanting to keep up the usual façade he hid behind.

The Yuki sat up with a slight frown tugging down the edges of his lips. "You don't have to wear that mask, Chazz," he huffed, the frown turning into a pout now. "I'm not going to let you get hurt for being anything but yourself."

"What if the mask doesn't come off anymore? Chazz asked, turning his silver gaze to the bed as if in shame. "But what if this is myself, Jaden? What then?"

Jaden gave a gentle smile, twisting around so that he was propped up on a single elbow and his free hand had come up to caress the other boy's cheek. "Then I guess we'll just have to figure it out from there," he answered cheerfully, then gasped. "Holy Hell, I'm gonna be late for that field trip Professor Banner's making us take!" Impulsively leaning in to plant a quick kiss to the tip of Chazz's nose, he darted out of bed, running the same mad dash he would every school day.

Chazz stared at the slammed door for a moment before he chuckled wryly. "Looks like some things never change," he mused to himself before throwing off his blankets and starting the day.

* * *

><p>"Noooooo, Bastion, put me down!" Sora was wriggling and squirming from where he'd been thrown over the Brit's broad shoulder, but judging by the tight grip that was being kept on the tanned arms beneath the yellow jacket, the genius figured he didn't <em>really <em>want to be let go quite yet. "I don't wanna be carried like a sack of potatoes!"

"Oh?" the ravenet asked, quirking an eyebrow, "well then, would you rather be carried like _this_?" He twisted quickly, dumping the younger boy into his arms bridal-style rather than the awkward grip he had before.

Sora was quiet for a long moment, almost making Bastion wonder if he had taken it too far, before a soft grin tugged at his lips. "Yes," he replied softly, quietly enough that the genius almost missed it.

Bastion smiled gently down at the Princeton in his arms. "I'm glad," he murmured, cuddling the younger boy close as the gamer began cuddling into his shoulder, resting his cheek against it and closing his silver eyes to try to catch up on some of the sleep he'd lost out on. After a moment of harsh debate and lengthy consideration, Bastion leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the boy's forehead before straightening, steadfastly keeping his gaze focused ahead of him in an attempt to deny the crimson staining his cheeks from his rash actions.

Sora blushed sharply, staring up at the Misawa in shock. _He… _kissed _me… _he thought in wonder, a blush headlining on his cheeks. _He actually _kissed _me… does that mean… could it mean… that maybe… Bastion might like me too?_

* * *

><p>... I'm bored. Let's get on with this...<p>

Chazz: Everyone who reviews will get a kiss on the cheek from Jaden... Wait, WHO THE HELL MADE THIS THE REWARD?

Bastion: ... Um... *backs away slowly since he'd only been trying to save Sora*

Jaden: And that's a chapter, people! Tune in next time!


	22. I'M SORRY, I'M A BAD PERSON!

Hello everyone! To those who expected this to be an update on Colors, I'm sorry. I'm not sure when or even if the next chapter will come out. I started writing this... I don't even remember when, but I was in such a different place since then. A lot has changed.

I started writing this back when my parents were just beginning proceedings to get divorced. Since then, the divorce has been getting dragged out by my father, who I am no longer in contact with, and slowly my mom is being forced towards bankruptcy. I am probably going to be forced to testify in court about everything he has done - which ranges from not allowing me to have a proper birthday to cancelling health insurance for my mother and making it nigh impossible for me to have it since I technically have it but can only access it if he's there, which he'll only be there if I interact with him. Since my mother and my little brother aren't really in a position to handle this well - he lives in denial and my mother leans on me heavily - I have to try to be strong for the both of them. My father has more or less bailed on me, and I have to stay here and pick up the pieces he left of my life.

Because of the divorce, almost all of my friends are avoiding me since the instant I start trying to tell them about some of what I am going through, they don't want to hear it. Of the friends who have really stuck by me, they all happen to be in positions where they can't really offer me all the support I need right now. As if that weren't enough, I was really close with my grandmother and uncle on my father's side, and since the divorce proceedings started, I have had no contact with any of my family on his side. And, to top that off, I have been forced to face the fact that I am bisexual even though I have suspected it for years, but I have yet to come out to any of my old friends or my family since I don't want to be pushed away any more than I already am.

Because of the divorce, my full attention hasn't been on my studies, and it really took a toll. I took a college class last school year along with a set of very challenging classes. My math class was supposedly the hardest one you'll ever take, and I ended up almost failing out of it since I had been caught up in all the drama in my own life and had a horrible teacher, especially considering that my previous math teacher had been FANTASTIC. A lot of my schoolwork got pushed aside and I did next to no studying; I didn't even really get much writing done outside of what I was forced to do for school and for a few friends. I struggled in a Creative Writing class that the teacher treated more as a sales experiment, mainly because I was living in a rich town and dealing with dwindling resources. And yet, despite all this, I'm freaking out because I feel like I need to take a job on next school year to help around the house even though I don't have a car or know how to drive since my father was supposed to teach me but instead bailed.

Because of the divorce, I have had a massive relapse. This time two years ago, I was borderline suicidal and heavily depressed. I didn't cut myself since I was unable to really stand pain, but I still would drag my nail across my wrist every now and again when things got bad. The only reason I never actually tried suicide was really because I was too much of a coward to risk taking pills and we didn't have a gun in the house. I had put that aside when things were starting to look up around the house, and even managed to be a deal happier once my father moved out almost a year ago. In recent months, however, with all the stress put on me and the general pessimistic outlook my mom has taken to life and burdened me with often, I sometimes end up thinking about it again, and every time it makes me cry horribly. I don't even really have anyone to talk to about it since I can't stress my mom out any more and none of my friends are really there for me anymore. Yes, I'm aware there's help for this, but right now, I just can't afford to slip up and let my mom see how much this is affecting me since the few times she saw early on what it was doing, she ended up crying.

It's for all of these reasons that I have not really been able to post earlier. It is for these reasons that I don't think I can add another chapter anytime soon, if ever, despite the fact that I am on summer break. As if I didn't have enough on my plate, one of my few close friends made plans with me to start a Yu-Gi-Oh! RP site, and then ended up bailing on me after the site was up, leaving me the sole staff member at the moment and hopelessly overwhelmed with the work to deal with it. As a matter of fact, I am putting off dealing with it just to type this up since I feel those of you who have faithfully followed this story deserve an explanation. If you would like to adopt these stories, you're welcome to PM me (I might take a while to respond though with the site taking so much of my time lately) or if you're so insistent upon having me finish it, I can come back to it once the site isn't so overwhelming and try to finish it out at least through season 1, which is already robbing it of the entire second season I had planned upon going into as well.

Like I said, I'm so very sorry about having to put this on hiatus or discontinue it, but life has interfered and I just can't pick this back up again.

Black Die.


End file.
